The Ties That Bond
by Chungdoo
Summary: What if things had been different? What if the dead never rose? After finding his wife in bed with another man, Lee runs into Clementine abandoned and living off the street. When things take a turn for the worse, Lee finds himself on the run and searching for answers. Eventual CarLee! Others characters will also appear eventually! Please Review. TellTale owns rights and characters!
1. Chapter 1

The Ties that Bond

Chapter 1

Lee could have sworn he was dying. Ever since the walker had decided to interrupt his plans of getting Clem back from the shadow that enveloped her- he could feel the disease slowly working its way up his arm. That was it…he was going to die.

"What if this thing is curable…like with some sort of medication?"

"Like what?"

"…happiness?"

"…Shut up Omid".

Lee couldn't stop the ringing in his ears, or turn his gaze away from the bite mark on his wrist. This was it. His one chance at happiness was gone.

How was he going to tell Clem?

That remembered him why he had to move. It was so simple that he couldn't believe had had wasted so much time in self-pity. Clem was gone, and he was going to get her back.

* * *

"Professor Everett?"

"…"

"Professor Everett?"

Lee jumped, shocking not only the student who had been attempting to ask him a question, but the rest of the class who had been waiting patiently for the past ten minutes for the continuation of the lecture.

Slowly, Lee looked around and remembered where he was. The university, his class, the lecture. Everything returned so slowly compared to the stunning reality of his haunting dreams. Every night Lee had the same dream. He was traveling with a group of people, searching desperately for a missing girl that he felt some strange connection to. It always ended up the same way. He could repeat the sequence by heart now. He was looking for this girl, he got "bit" (whatever the hell that meant), and then he blacked out. Always the same.

"Sorry guys" he replied, looking around the room to the forty-five kids that made up his American history class. "Got caught up in a thought….what was I talking about?"

"The Great Depression" answered a voice from the mass.

"Oh…that sounds…" Lee though, trying to get rid of the monster headache (another side effect of his dreams) with pure strength of will alone.

"Depressing?"

"Yeah" he chuckled, "It really does."

Finally giving up any attempt to control the pounding of the beast in his head, Lee decided to cancel class. As he slowly packed up his papers into his brief case, he took an opportunity to distract himself from pain by looking around the room. While this particular room held no sentimental value to him at all, classrooms in general always game him a sort of eerie calm, like a fisherman floating along on a calm day at sea. Just looking at the room helped a little to clear the pounding of his head. As much as he would have liked to stay, he knew that he should be getting home. It was early, way before the time he was expected, but Lee was always a fan of surprises and with a spring in his step and his headache temporarily forgotten, he moved out of the class and towards his car.

The drive home was nothing special, he gazed absentmindedly out the windshield at the passing sidewalk and the happy families that walked by. Despite knowing better, Lee pictured one of those families as his own. His wife, him, a child. The image was so real that Lee tried to forget the fact that he had pictured this scene a thousand times on a thousand other drives home and focused on the pure bliss of it. He wanted a child, someone he could take to the park, laugh with while watching television, and to bore to tears in history museums. This he had pictured a thousand times as well. Him, the child, Lincoln's hat. But it seemed that on this issue, Lee and his wife had drifted. She was gone all the time, away on some business trip and rarely had time to call.

"This wasn't what marriage is supposed to be like" he though to himself as yet another sigh escaped his lips. It was the third one since he had gotten in the car. He had made a habit out of counting.

Ever so slowly his house came into view. Being a professor, Lee made a modest amount of money. Nothing fancy mind you, but enough to help support his wife and enough to pay the rent. As Lee pulled up to the driveway he immediately noticed something was up. The house next door, which had been up for sale for months now had a car sitting in the driveway. The owners had been long gone months ago and being a fellow professor at the university, Lee knew the owners well. Pausing a second to look at the government license plate, Lee shrugged his shoulders and moved towards the front door. As he reached for the knob, a fresh bolt of pain raced through his head. It seemed his headache was getting worse.

Moving quickly into the house and towards the cupboard where he kept the advil, Lee almost missed the moan coming from his bedroom door.

Almost.

Moving faster than his throbbing head would allow, Lee ran to his bedroom and thrust the door open. Taking a second to steady the pounding of his head and to center his vision he found himself unable to move. There, in the middle of the bed he had slept on alone for the past three months, was his wife.

She was certainly not alone. On that Lee had double-checked.

There was no words to describe how he felt standing there seeing his wife and another man (the state senator from his district if he remembered correctly) together in his bed. Anger, sadness, betrayal, rage, pain, all these could be applied to his current situation and for a second everyone just starred at each other. Lee couldn't move- he was paralyzed.

Suddenly, Lee was overcome with a desire to hurt this man. To slam his head against the wall and beat the living hell out of him. Everything Lee had built up to this point, everything he had wanted was gone. There was no marriage, no child, and no feelings. What made this all the more painful for him was the look in his wife's eyes. There was no love there. Instead fear and pity occupied its place.

PITY! It seemed like the only thing she regretted, was having everything end like this!

Slowly, Lee reached his hands towards the baseball bat that he had leaned up against the wall beside the door, and held it in his hands. Weighing it.

This was it. His opportunity to get back at his wife for all the hurt and heartache she had put him through for the past fifteen years. He was ready to do it. He WANTED to do it. But before he could take the next step into the room- something stopped him. It felt like a small hand. A small hand that laid itself against the death grip his hand had on the bat. It was stopping him. Warning him. Lee recognized in that instant the life that would be waiting for him if he stepped into the room. He understood, as clear as the dreams he had been having for the past couple of days, that he would regret the decision for the rest of his life. All he had to do was step into the room and life as he knew it would be over forever.

For the fourth time that day, Lee Everett sighed…

And walked out of the house.

* * *

That didn't mean the senator's car was safe though, Lee thought to himself as he slammed the bat into the passenger window. Even though the damage couldn't make up for all that she had put him through, it certainly helped.

Taking one final swing at the car (and remembering a certain university budget cut the senator had approved in the process) he left the glass, the bumper, and the bat on the ground and walked away. Away from the house that now seemed surrounded in false happiness and supported by lies. Away from what could have been.

There was no direction in which Lee planned on going. No final destination. He passed a couple of neighborhoods and a few more streets; he ignored the sights of families (especially the sight of happy couples) and just continued walking. His headache was gone now, at least something good happened. But eventually his legs began to burn and he was suddenly reminded of the many times he had passed up going to the gym in favor of the newest history book. Slowly he came to stop and raised his head to survey his surroundings.

He was in an abandoned part of town, that was for sure, but he wasn't alone.

Lee saw the group approach him before they had time to announce their presence. There were four guys, dressed in all black clothing, and had covered their faces with ski masks.

"Fuck".

"You know how this works pops. Money and cell phone, we don't want to hurt you."

In ordinary circumstances, Lee would have just forked over his wallet and cell phone. He would have made some smart-ass comment and probably would have had to run to get away from them. But today was a really bad day and Lee the goon that had been talking was starting to look more and more like the senator.

Moving quickly to throw off the other three, Lee punched the one on the left in the face while moving to do the same to the one in the middle. Suddenly, a realization struck him faster than the punch that followed.

These were four twenty-year-old kids, and he was a thirty five year old history professor. There were certainly no fight clubs in graduate school.

Moving at what Lee considered to be incredibly unrealistic speed, the goon in the middle grabbed Lee's fist and used his other hand to land a nice punch to Lee's side, bringing him down pretty quickly. The rest of the goons didn't take to kindly to the first punch and surrounded him, kicking, punching, and stomping on the older man until he could barely move. Satisfied at the condition of their victim, the goon who had taken Lee's first punch grabbed both wallet and cell phone from his victims bloodied pants and made off with the rest of his gang.

Lee was a mess. His nose was bloodied and had he had various cuts and bruises along his entire body. He knew he should get up and move, get out of the sidewalk and take shelter somewhere but he couldn't. Every command his mind gave his body rejected. So he lay there for what seemed like an eternity, going in and out of consciousness.

Eventually, a movement in the nearby bushes jolted his mind to attention. It was getting late, the sun had long past set and moon had almost taken its position centrally in the night sky.

A part of Lee wanted it to be the muggers again. Wanted them to come back and continue beating him. To make his being so numb that he could no longer feel. That's what he desired more than anything else. Something to get his mind off of his wife's face.

"Are you ok?" Asked a small, childlike voice from the bushes.

"No" Lee replied truthfully "Not really".

No response.

Just when Lee was starting to question if he had really just had a brief exchange with the lawn, the bush moved again. Slowly, a small child emerged from its branches and inched towards him. In the moonlight, Lee could make out some of the features of this mysterious girl. She was young, possibly eight or nine, with curly black hair and a thin (too thin) frame. She seemed extremely cautious as she approached him and jumped when Lee suddenly coughed up some blood.

"It's ok," he said, wiping the blood off on his shirt. "I won't hurt you".

"You promise?" she asked. Her eyes wide, both her body and voice shook slightly.

"Promise" Lee replied, extending his pinky and moving his hand towards her.

Slowly, ever cautiously, the girl moved her hand towards his. When they were close enough, she extended her pinky and wrapped it around his.

"What's your name?" she asked, removing her hand and finally reaching his prone frame.

"Lee" he said. "Lee Everett"

"I'm Clementine".

**Author's Note: **Wow, I must say that it is good to be back. I started on FanFiction 7 years ago when I was thirteen. After a few years break I am excited to say that I am back! That being said this first chapter may be a little rough to get through but I hope you will stay with me! Also, please feel free to leave your comments in that cool box at the bottom of the page! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lee dreamed about her again.

It was an uncomfortable fact for him- the ability to see his wife's face so clearly even in his sleep. Her face almost seemed happy.

Almost.

He could see it now. In every smile, every laugh, every kiss, there was the cloud of doubt he had always seemed to miss. That cloud came back to haunt him now- to mock him. It made his wounds hurt that much more and made his head pound with the realization…

"It was all a lie".

Suddenly she was back in bed, in their bedroom, staring at him with that look of pity again and he was back by the door. The senator had her in his arm, a look of horror on his face.

Lee had the bat again.

He could see himself as clearly as if he had been a fly on the wall. He watched from above as the scene replayed. He had the bat again and his hands weighed it. Lee remembered what came next and waited for the sound of the doors to close and his feet to recede from the room.

The exit never came.

Instead, Lee watched in horror as his body moved closer to the couple on the bed, anger etched in his double's face. Lee attempted to look away from the incoming carnage but found himself incapable of doing so. Instead, he watched in horror as the bat was raised and was slowly brought down on the senator's head. Blood sprayed the wall and the sound of his wife's shrieks filled his head. Lee watched in horror at the scene before him and tried to do what he could to make it stop.

"STOP!" His wife yelled, echoing his thoughts.

She made a move to stop him. That was all Lee saw. She made a move to tackle his body but was too weak. His elbow jabbed her stomach quickly and without warning and she fell to the ground in a coughing fit.

Lee was starting to panic. As much as he wanted to stop what was going on, he found himself unable to change anything. He couldn't look away, he couldn't stop the beatings, and he couldn't help them either.

He was powerless.

Suddenly his view changed. Instead of looking at the ceiling, he was on the ground, a hand clutched to the stomach in pain and another rose against the attacker, attempting to stop the actions of his body. He was his wife now and saw what she saw.

"Please!" he heard her say. "Please stop this".

He turned to her then, this anger filled Lee Everett.

Slowly.

His body and hands covered in blood and the bat was gripped tightly. The look on this fake Lee's face was enough to send chills down the real one's body. He could feel his wife's heart pounding in her chest now; feel the fear course through her entire being. Her anxiety was his anxiety. The hand that was projected shook with fresh fear at the sight of this animal.

Slowly, the bat was raised.

"no" she whimpered, her voice trembling. Lee could see it now, the distinct lack of emotion in his doppelganger's eyes as he gazed down upon her.

Soulless.

Lee didn't see what happened as the bat made contact. He watched though, as the bat was brought down (in what seemed to be a form of slow motion). Just before it made contact, his vision blacked out.

The sound however, was enough to fill the darkness of his senses. And it shook him to the very core.

* * *

Lee awoke with a start, his body shaking and covered in sweat. He attempted to sit up and found this extremely difficult. Every muscle in his body ached and he thought he could feel each individual muscle protest. He had to sit up though, he just couldn't lie there on the floor after what he had just witnessed. Groaning slightly and moving his hand to shield the light of the morning from his face, he slowly moved his way up into a sitting position, using the opportunity to gaze around at his surroundings.

He was in a tree house, and he slowly began to remember how he had gotten there.

* * *

Clementine. She had brought him here. After getting him situated, she had gone into the house briefly and had come back a few minutes later with a box of band-aids.

"For your face" she said shyly, handing over the box.

"Thanks" he said, moving his hand up slowly and wrapping his fingers around the box.

She nodded and looked down, only to look back up when she heard Lee gasp with pain.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah" Lee sighed, dropping the arm in pain. "Just feeling a little sore".

"Oh" she muttered, looking at her feet.

He wanted to ask her more. Ask her what she was doing living out of a tree house. Ask her what she was doing by herself and where her parents were. He was just about to ask the first of his questions when he heard her yawn. Looking over, his heart melted at the sign of her small frame leaned up against the tree house. She was struggling desperately against the desire to sleep but was loosing. Her eyes seemed to be shutting of their own accord and her head tilted downwards until her hat cast shadow to her nose. She was the picture of innocence, and Lee felt a surge of emotion for this little girl.

He was about to dose off himself when he eyed a baby blue blanket lying on the floor to his left. Slowly, making sure Clementine was asleep; he moved to pick it up and winced as fresh pain flooded his system.

With the blanket in his hands, Lee began to move again, this time towards the sleeping figure. Quietly, oh so quietly, Lee spread out the blanket against her exposed skin and tucked it against her back. Making sure she was comfortable, Lee settled back into his side of the tree house and stretched out as much as he could against the hard wood floor. Taking one last look at the girl that helped him out, Lee slowly drifted off into sleep.

* * *

It had only taken him a few minutes to remember, and a few minutes more to determine that he was now the only person in the tree house. Clementine was gone.

"Hello?" he called out, looking out the sole window into the back yard. "Clementine?"

"Don't move" a voice reminded him as it moved closer towards the tree house.

"Huh?"

"The pain" the voice reminded. Slowly, Clementine climbed her way back into the tree house, holding two pieces of fruit and a small box of cereal.

"Oh" he replied, grateful to see that she was ok "thanks".

She smiled slightly but was suddenly shy again. "Remember what you said." She stated, eyes on the floor but her arm raised up towards him, pinky extended; "Your promise".

He smiled and extended his hand towards her, wrapping his much larger finger around her smaller one. "I promise," he said, renewing his promise, "I won't hurt you".

She smiled again, but something was different about this smile.

"Here" she said, handing him a banana.

"Thanks" he replied, taking the fruit and peeling it smoothly. He watched as she peeled her own banana and then attempted to open the plastic containing the cereal. She was clearly struggling.

"Here" he said kindly, slowly extending his hands towards the box. She flinched at first but slowly handed it over. A few seconds later, the box was open and the two were sharing a comfortable breakfast.

"So…." he said, deliberately overreacting to the potential awkwardness of the situation to make her relax. She giggled.

"What are you doing here by yourself? Do you live out of here?" It may have put a stop to the comfortable atmosphere, but Lee was extremely worried about her.

He watched as Clementine bit her lower lip and looked around the tree house. "Yeah" she said so quietly that he almost missed it.

"Where are your parents?"

"In Savannah"

"….." Lee couldn't think of words to say. Who would leave a girl alone?

He was about to say something else but a gut wrenching pain made him gasp and clutch his chest. Clementine gasped and moved closer to him. "What's wrong?" she asked, her eyes wide as saucers.

"I don't know" he said through pain clenched teeth.

_This isn't good_ he though to himself. His vision was beginning to double. One worried Clementine was starting to look like two. He didn't notice how quickly he was loosing consciousness until it happened. Lee had never passed out before. He wasn't ready for the endless black that would occupy his vision, or the sound of his head hitting the floor. He could have sworn he heard his wife's voce in his head though, before he finally lost consciousness.

She was calling his name.

* * *

Lee was getting used to waking up in strange places now. This place however, was much different than the tree house he had woken up to a little while before.

"Ugh" he groaned, moving his hand to rub his head.

"Mr. Everett?" a voice called out. Slowly his vision began to clear and Lee realized that he was in a hospital room.

"You're lucky to be alive Mr. Everett," the voice said. He realized it belonged to a young woman. A nurse.

"How did I get here?"

"Your daughter called 911. She's a smart one all right, saved your life." She said, gesturing over to Clementine who was sitting on a chair near the bed. Her gaze was on the floor and there was a slight blush on her face. "Whatever physical altercation you were in broke a few of your ribs and one of the bones penetrated an artery. There was some internal bleeding but nothing that couldn't be fixed if treated quickly."

"Oh…ok" Lee said, not fully comprehending what the nurse was saying but appreciated the drugs that were flowing through his system.

The nurse smiled at him and made to exit. "I'll leave you two alone. The doctor will be in shortly".

"Thank you" Clementine muttered, looking up to the nurse. She smiled in return.

When the nurse left, Lee sighed again and leaned back, using his hand to run over his face one more time.

"Are you ok?" Clementine asked, her legs swaying nervously.

"You seem to be asking me that a lot" Lee responded, smiling at her. Clementine smiled weakly.

"You passed out in the tree house". There was a nervous tone in her voice.

"I'm sorry if I scared you".

She looked down for a second and then looked back up smiling "I called 911!" She said proudly.

Lee nodded and smiled at her "That's the second time you saved me." She nodded.

He wanted to ask her about the whole daughter thing but never had the chance. He turned at the sound of footsteps outside to look at the figure who walked in the door, expecting to see the white coat of the hospital doctor. Instead, he saw the shinning silver badge of a police officer.

"Lee Everett?" the man asked, walking into the room.

"Yes?" he asked. He shot a quick glance over to Clementine, who looked at him worriedly.

The police officer followed Lee's eyes and looked over to Clementine. "Mind if I have a word with him for a second honey?" She looked over to Lee and he nodded.

"Ok" she said, slowly walking out of the room.

"What's going on officer?" Lee asked.

"Lee Everett, you're under arrest for the murder of your wife and State Senator Matthews."

**Author's Note**: Hey Guys! I never expected to get the second chapter done as quickly as I did but here it is! I hope you enjoy it! I would also like to thank all those who reviewed/favored/followed this story! Every review is important and I always love hearing from readers. If you have a chance, enter your feelings about the chapter or story into that nifty box at the bottom of the page and let me know what you thought! I'll have the third chapter out as soon as I can! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

_Lee had never been so nervous. Time seemed to slow down as seconds dragged into minutes, and minutes were hours. He had been waiting, planning for this for weeks now. Every night spent sleepless would be worth it._

_"and if you look at capital movements in the past ten years, you'll see a remarkable trend" her voice had broken into his thoughts and drew his gaze to her. Rachael, the most beautiful woman Lee had ever seen, had captivated his thoughts fully and completely. _

_Rachael had been a guest lecturer at the University for the past week and Lee had used every excuse in the book to go see her. A few nights ago he had built up the courage and approached her under the guise of introducing himself and asking a question about her lecture. She had seen through that disguise pretty quickly, though, when it became apparent that he hadn't been paying full attention. She hadn't minded though, and the two had become fast friends. _

_"Isn't that right Professor Everett?" her voice boomed, breaking through his thoughts yet again. He took a second to gather his thoughts and then nodded, smiling. _

_She winked at him, and began wrapping up her lecture, a smile on her face._

_When she had finished, Lee stayed in his seat in the lecture hall and watched as the rest of the students left, a few stragglers staying to ask questions. He waited until these few had left before he approached her. She saw his figure approaching and smiled, pressing a water bottle to her lips to sooth her aching throat. _

_"Enjoy the lecture?" she asked, capping the water after she had finished. _

_"Of course" he said, lying through his teeth. He hadn't been paying attention. _

_"Then you can summarize it for me?" _

_"Sure" he smiled, trying to figure out the best way to drop the hint about dinner._

_"Maybe over dinner?" she asked, beating him to the punch. _

_"Ms. Porter, are you asking me out on a date?" he asked, smiling._

_" That depends" she laughed, "what are you doing tonight?"_

_Lee paled a little, "Tonight?" he asked surprised, "Tonight…" he said quickly to cover up his previous hesitation. "Nothing I guess" he smiled. _

_"Great then" she said, grabbing his hand," Let a girl show you a good time"._

* * *

"What?!" Lee half shouted half whimpered. "She's dead?"

Outside he could hear Clem gasp and the patter of footsteps as they moved away from the door.

The officer looked slightly towards the noise at the door and then back to Lee, his face somber. "She was found dead along with the senator yesterday at eight P.M".

"I left the house an hour before that!" he shouted then suddenly got quiet. He had little to no alibi and he knew it. He had been walking by himself for hours and he hadn't run into Clementine until later. Unless someone had seen him walking he was screwed.

"I'm not here to pass judgment Mr. Everett." The officer said. "I'm just here to make sure you are aware of the charges against you, and to make sure you don't escape". The sound of handcuffs that followed only solidified Lee's misery.

His wife was dead. And he couldn't get her face out of his head.

* * *

Clementine was gone. She had no doubt heard what the officer said and left out of fear. He didn't blame her. No sense of loyalty, of bonding, of friendship had developed between them. He was just a man she had helped and they had known each other only for a day. Still though, Lee was depressed. The little girl had made an impression on him, and he hoped that she would be ok.

"You still alive back there?" a rough voice with a southern accident asked.

"What?" Lee asked, bringing his attention back to his current situation. He was sitting in the back of a police car heading towards we he could only assume was the local police station. He had no doubt that he would be held there until his court case.

"I reckon you didn't do it then."

"Does it matter?" Lee replied, feeling hopeless.

"Nah not much" the officer replied, looking back at the road instead of the rear view mirror. "Just get a lot of people in that back seat who claim they didn't do it".

"I'm sure you heard it all before". Lee said, shifting his gaze to the window on his left.

"You bet. I've been following your case. The whole area is going crazy over it. Got a load of reporters all around the station."

Lee didn't say anything at that, instead he watched as two police cars, driving the opposite direction, passed them by with their lights on.

"Had this one guy back here once…" the officer began, but Lee had long stopped paying attention. He wondered what Clementine was doing. If she had made it back to her tree house, if she was safe. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he almost didn't see the man standing in the middle of the road. While he was too far away to make out any physical details about the man, Lee knew it could only be trouble.

The cop must not have seen the man until the last possible second. Lee caught the officer's eye in the rearview mirror and the look of horror on Lee's face must have been enough to snap the cop back to attention.

"Oh shit!" the officer yelled, swerving the car at the last possible moment.

The car had turned too fast though and flew off the side of the road. The resulting flip send Lee in a panic. His body was bouncing all over back seat. Lee attempted to get low to the floor of the car in order to prevent any actual damage but his head was slammed into the roof with one of the car flips and for the third time in recent memory, Lee passed out.

* * *

The first thing Lee noticed when he finally regained consciousness was the fact that it was dark. It was a full moon that night and its light shone through the broken and bloodied windshield. Slowly he remembered what had happened. The police officer was no longer in the driver's seat, instead lying on the ground face down a few feet away from the car. He wasn't moving.

The car was an absolute wreck. Paper and glass were scattered all over the front seat but the windows in the back were still intact. A few cracks ran through them but other than that there was very little change. The car had come to rest with all four tires on the ground though, so things were looking up.

Slowly, Lee managed to raise his body up off the floor of the car and onto the back seat. Pain fought for control of his senses but he knew that it wasn't the time to deal with his previous injury. Raising his legs to his chest, Lee struck the window a few times with his shoes and covered his eyes as the shattered glass flew over his body.

Lee's heart beat rapidly inside his chest as he worked his way out of the window. How had the police not found him yet? The road had been fairly abandoned but it didn't make sense for no one to have noticed a missing police car. Shaking his head at the possibility, Lee recognized he was faced with a choice. He could sit and wait for the police to notice the crash, or he could escape now and find out what happened with his wife.

The decision practically made itself.

Lee moved over to the police officer and checked for a pulse.

Nothing.

Slowly, averting his eyes as a show of his respect, Lee grabbed with handcuff keys and slowly freed his hands from the metal constraints. As a second though, he grabbed the policeman's gun. The weight felt foreign in his hands and he reflected on his absolute lack of experience with guns. If things got crazy he was going to have a hard time.

After one last look at the cop, Lee took a quick moment to gather his surroundings and took off in the direction of his home.

* * *

Carley Prescott couldn't remember the last time she slept. It had been two days ago, she had been certain of it this morning. But now, as the sun had set and her fellow reporters had left the scene for the comforts of bed, she was no longer sure. It had to have been two days ago. But it felt like three.

But it was worth it.

After years of covering puff pieces and selling her soul to the Georgia Harold, she had finally gotten the big break her career needed. The lead homicide reporter had gotten sick, and she had been given the ultimate assignment in his stead.

The Lee Everett case.

She had been so excited. This was the big break she needed to get national attention. From here it was on to bigger pastures. _USA Today_, _Time_, maybe even the _New York Times_. The possibilities were endless and Carley couldn't wait to start. But that had been two days ago. Back when she slept. At this point she had until tomorrow to submit her initial column.

"Front page material!" her editor had warned. Right now, she barley had enough material for an ad. She had even driven down to the Everett's house, hoping that the now empty residence would give her the inspiration she needed. So far, all she had was a whole lotta nothing. At least she was comfy in her new car.

That was until a rustle in the trees made her jump.

"That was nothing" she said to herself. Though the goosebumps on her arms said otherwise.

"Just focus on your writing Carley" she told herself. "It's definitely not creepy, and your definitely not talking to yourself."

She had almost fooled herself. Almost. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she saw a shadow move through the backyard. The sight made her emit a sharp eep sound involuntarily and she quickly looked around to make sure there was no one around.

"It's just an animal...a small one" she added. "Look, I'll just go outside and check and then I'll come back and finish my article." she told herself. Looking inside of her glove compartment, she removed her can of pepper spray and clutched it tightly.

Shutting the door to her car quietly, Carley made her way to the yellow police tape that marked off the direct path to the back yard as quietly as possible. The last thing she wanted was for someone to hear her breaking into what was still considered a crime scene.

"Technically" she reminded herself.

Clutching the pepper spray even tighter against her palm, she gently lifted the yellow police tape that separated the sidewalk and the yard with her free hand and slipped her way into the Everett's yard.

* * *

Lee's whole body froze when his shoulder had accidentally hit a loose branch. While he hadn't seen anyone around the house, and had been extra careful when moving past the house directly behind his, when he had approached from the forest (luckily he had never installed the fence his wife had wanted in the backyard), there were still a few cars parked around his house though, and if his story was as popular as the policeman had said then there was bound to be someone around.

After a few minutes of heart pounding silence, he worked his way through his backyard and to the window that overlooked the kitchen. Lee had always hated that window. It had never locked properly (though Rachael had managed to block it pretty nicely when she had found out), and its unique position gave whoever was outside a unique view of the living room and kitchen. Looking through it now the house seemed eerily calm. He had gotten used to it back when Rachael had been out of town, but now that seemed like years ago. If Lee remembered correctly, there was a notch somewhere that opened the window. He had almost found it when he realized

It was unlocked.

Initial shock turning into determination, Lee pulled open the window and slipped inside, not bothering to shut the window in case he needed to make a quick escape.

Once inside, the house seemed much colder than he remembered. There had been so much life in this house before. Now, it seemed he was a foreigner in his own house. Sighing at his current situation, he moved quickly through the kitchen and into the living room, sorting through his stuff looking for anything that might seem out of place. Whoever had killed his wife and the senator had obviously known enough about all of them to not only know when they would get together, but also know exactly how to arrange the crime scene so that he/she would avoid suspicion. So far everything looked the same. He had left the newest in a collection of civil war book published by a friend of his on the table next to his chair along with a stack of ungraded papers.

He hadn't even thought about his job at the university. There was no way he could go back to his old job now. Even if this all somehow cleared up, his old life was behind him now. There was no way his life would ever be the same after this.

He was alone now.

He was almost fully caught in thought now, when something sticking out of one of the papers hit the moonlight and caught his eye. It was a letter. Snatching it quickly, Lee noticed that the letter was addressed to him and as his eyes scanned over its contents every muscle in his body froze.

_I know who killed your wife._

There was more to the letter, Lee knew it, but he couldn't take his eyes off that sentence. It seemed almost too good to be true. Someone out there knew that he was innocent and could finally help him be rid of the suspicion.

He was about to read the rest of the note when a noise in the kitchen caught his attention. Turning his head to check its source, he eyes were suddenly sprayed with a liquid that burned the hell out his senses. Lee fell to the floor, clutching his eyes and attempting to muffle out his moans.

"W...What are you doing here?" a female voice asked him. He would have loved to answer her, but all of his concentration had ventured elsewhere.

Slowly his vision cleared, the burning sensation still stung like hell but at least he could see his attacker. She was scared, that much he could determine right away. And her frame was small. She had chestnut brown hair that went well with her brown eyes. She was wearing a purple button down shirt that met a black skirt at her hips. A white press badge was still hanging from a lanyard on her neck. In her hands was a can of what appeared to be pepper spray and she had it aimed at him again. She noticed his stare though and that only seemed to make her more nervous. Lee recognized that to her he wasn't Lee the history professor. He was Lee the killer.

"Who are you?" he asked. Still trying to recover.

"I..I'm asking the questions", barley a crack this time. He could tell the shock was wearing off and she was trying to be brave.

"Ok...Ok" Lee said, trying to ease the situation. "I won't hurt you, so you can put down the pepper spray if you want" he said, keeping his eyes down. "Going to have to refrain from making eye contact though, you understand."

She didn't move. Lee sighed.

"I'm looking for clues." he said, trying to make his actions seem not as stupid as it sounded. "I'm trying to find out who killed my wife."

"You did," she said so resolutely that it made him shudder. The darkness surrounding him seemed to move in closer.

"No" he said, sighing in hopelessness. "No I didn't".

"How do I know that you weren't planting evidence?"

Lee handed her the note, hoping that maybe the cold feeling that filled his body would go with it. No such luck.

"Come to Savannah?" she said, reading the rest of the note. "Who is M?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I just found it."

"How do I know you didn't plant this?" she asked, but something in her tone made Lee look up. She no longer seemed so sure.

"You don't," he answered honestly. "But I didn't kill my wife. I walked in and found her sleeping with another man. I was angry, but I walked out."

Building courage now, Lee began to slowly pick his way up off the floor. At first she jumped and he was afraid that his vision would suffer for his quick movement, but when he raised his arms slowly in order to show her that he meant her no harm, she seemed to relax more.

"I'm not a bad guy," he told her sincerely. "I'm just trying to find out who killed my wife." He took a seat in his armchair and gestured for her to sit on the couch right next to the chair and gently, stiffly, moved next to sit.

"I guess we're past introductions now, but I'm Lee," he said, extending his hand and pretending the situation was not awkward.

She starred at it like it was a foreign object and Lee began to think that it was a mistake. Slowly though, she raised her hand and gently shook his outstretched one.

"Carley. I work for the Georgia Harold".

The end of the handshake was met with more awkwardness. Lee didn't really know what to do. He had never been a suspected murderer before.

Unconsciously his eyes drifted to his bedroom. It was as if he could sense the darkness behind the door. Slowly, he moved off the couch and towards the room. Lee knew that all he would find was trouble. But this was something he had to do. Carley, for her part, sat still on the couch and watched him go.

* * *

He never got past the bedroom door.

The room was barley visible in the moonlight but he could still see the blood. Lee couldn't find the words. It was everywhere. And lying on top of the bed was a baseball bat.

The same one he had used to dent the senator's car.

The shock had been enough to turn his feet to cement. Looking down, he saw something shiny glinting in the moonlight.

His wife's wedding ring was lying on the floor...right next to his feet.

Slowly, almost mechanically, he bent down and picked the ring up off the floor. It glittered perfectly against the moonlight.

* * *

When Lee was finally able to, he moved back to the living room and sat back in his chair. Carley hadn't moved.

"I'm sorry" Carley said, turning to look at him again, "about your wife".

Lee nodded. Now was not the time to mourn his wife. He had to get out of this house. Had to go to Savannah and find this M. That was how he would honor her. She may have cheated on him, but she is...was...his wife, and he loved her.

"I've got to go," he said, getting up slowly. Carley jumped up shortly after he passed her.

"What's your plan? Go to Savannah and hope no one notices that you are an escaped convict?"

He stopped; he had never though about that before. It would be an incredibly difficult and dangerous journey, but he had to do it. It was a risk he was willing to take. "I have to go. I'll find a way there."

He moved quickly to the window and was halfway out when her voice stopped him.

"I'll make you an offer"' she said. "I'll help you get to Savannah, but I want an exclusive on this story".

"What?!" he asked, turning to face her. He had not expected that.

"I've got something you want, and you have something I want" she said, her voice a lot more resolute than it had been a few minutes ago. She walked closer to the window.

Lee wasn't sure what to say. He was going to need help getting to Savannah, that much was certain, but he had only just met her. Could he trust the reporter? Every instinct in his body told him not to. But there was something in his gut that told him differently. Lee couldn't put his finger on it, but something told him that it was ok to trust her.

"Fine" he said, deciding that the risk was worth the payoff. "But before we go, there's something I need to take care of" he said, moving back into the house and grabbing a picture off of the table. The his wife's wedding ring jingled in his pocket.

* * *

By the time he had reached the house, it was well past midnight. He had told Carley to wait in the car. He knew that the time alone would do her some good. The decision to accompany him was a big one, and he could see that she was overwhelmed with anxiety about this decision. Besides, this was something he was going to have to do alone.

He was afraid that she wouldn't be there. That his time spent with her had been nothing more than an illusion, a small flicker of light in a sea of darkness. But he froze when he saw her, sitting on one of the swings next to the tree house.

Clementine.

Slowly he made his way over, taking a seat on the swing next to her.

"Hey Clem" he said, taking a seat on the swing adjacent from her.

"Hey" she said weakly, looking up at him for a brief moment before looking down again. "You look terrible".

Lee smiled. He bet he did. His eyes were probably still red from the pepper spray and his arms were cut and bruised from the accident with the cop. There was no doubt in his mind that he looked terrible, because he felt terrible.

Looking over at Clem, he was suddenly aware of just how thin she was. Her white dress looked to big for her and he could have sworn he heard her stomach growl. He tried to hide his frown.

"Sorry about your wife" she said to him. He did everything he could to keep from wincing. It was still hard to hear that she was gone.

"Thanks" he told her "she would have liked you. How have you been holding up Clem? You still here by yourself?"

She nodded.

"Is your family still in Savannah?"

Another nod. Something was wrong with her, he could tell. But he couldn't place his finger on it.

"If I put you on a train or a bus to Savannah, could you find them again?" he asked seriously. He wasn't sure if he could go with her to the station, but maybe Carley could. He wanted to make sure Clem was taken care of. He wasn't sure how much longer she could last by herself and a nice girl like her deserved to be with her parents again.

Maybe then the little light inside him that fought off the darkness closing in could grow a little bigger. Just maybe.

She didn't say anything and for a second he thought that she hadn't heard him.

"I lied to you," she whispered quietly. So softly that he almost didn't hear her.

"What do you mean?" he asked her, shock evident on his face

Tears began to flow freely now and she cupped her face in her hands.

"I hadn't been here alone."

He moved off the swing and crouched down in front of her. "It's ok sweet pea," he said, remembering what his mother used to call him when he had been upset.

She just shook her head. "Sandra, the lady who was supposed to be looking after me, was a friend of my mom's. I was supposed to stay here until my dad got home from the hospital. Something went wrong though, because they kept calling to say that I had to stay over longer. Sandra just got madder and madder. She drank a lot and started yelling at me more and more" her voice was getting choked up now and when Lee looked at her arm more closely, he noticed something that he hadn't noticed before.

A bruise.

"a...and s..she" Clem fought back hiccups at this point.

Lee was stunned. Gently, he placed his hand on her arm and felt her flinch reflexively. She didn't pull away though.

"It's ok," he said, rubbing her arm gently in a soothing manner.

"Am I a bad person?" she asked looking him in the eyes. She looked so vulnerable and Lee could almost feel his heart break.

"No Clem" he said soothingly. "You're not a bad person at all. You saved me! Remember?"

"Twice" she reminded weakly. Lee grinned.

"I really want to trust you," she told him.

Lee could see past it now, the mask Clementine had used to hide all her true feelings. It was the same mask he had used ever since he found out his wife was dead.

Behind that mask was a scared eight-year-old girl in need of help.

She hugged him suddenly. It was so quick that he almost fell backwards. She was so thin against his frame. So frail.

"I don't want to be alone" she sobbed.

Lee knew he had no choice now. This little girl had managed to capture his heart so completely in such a short time that he knew any other course of action was futile. Maybe, though, he was also being a little selfish. He really didn't have any family left. Maybe he was also a little lonely. Maybe he didn't want to be alone either.

Maybe.

"Listen" he said, brining a hand up to rub her back soothingly, "I'll...take care of you, until we find your parents...keep you safe."

She pulled away and stood in front of him then. She looked so cute, he thought to himself, with her cheeks flushed, her eyes puffy and her nose a slight tint of red from crying. She held her hand out for him again-pinky extended. "You promise?"

He smiled, extending his pinky and wrapping it around hers. "Promise"

She smiled now and it was set. There was no way he would ever let anything happen to her. He tapped the rim of her hat and she laughed. She trusted him now; he could see that in the way something in her eyes had changed. In that way only a child could. She may not trust him completely, maybe not fully, not yet, but it was enough.

And for a brief moment, Lee forgot about the murder of his wife and the darkness that surrounded him. Her smile made him smile and her laugh seemed infectious. She grabbed his hand and had him stand outside the tree house as she gathered some stuff for the road and he enjoyed every minute of it.

He was so distracted by Clementine's behavior that he didn't see Carley hiding behind the bush. He didn't see her face at their interaction, and didn't hear the question she voiced to herself out loud.

"Just who is Lee Everett?"

**Author's Note:** Man what a long chapter! I never really anticipated this chapter to be so long but I wanted to make sure that a couple of things were set up before the next chapter. I'm not really sure how long this story will end up being but my ideal range is somewhere around 10-15. I don't want it to be crazy long. I also struggled a lot with this chapter because I wanted to portray Clem and Lee's relationship as something built on trust (not assumed or given). I hope I have portrayed that so far. I would also like to thank everyone who has submitted a review to this story. You have no idea how much your feedback means to me, and if you have yet to write one please do! Reviews are what keep authors going. Well…I'm going to wrap things up now until the next chapter. Thanks for reading and goodbye for now!

**Update 4/1**: I'm getting a little worried from the overall lack of (new) reviews from chapter 2 to 3. I know that while a lot of readers don't usually post reviews, I would really like to hear from you with your opinions (both good and constructive)! Let's try to get to 30-35 reviews before the next chapter! (I've also got exams coming up) I would also like to thank those whose continued support has helped push me towards updating so quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

The drive that night was relatively quiet. Clementine had fallen asleep pretty quickly in the back of Carley's car and Lee was equally tired. He fought to stay awake though, because while his body screamed for sleep, his mind reminded him that he did not fully trust the brown haired reporter driving the car. So there he was, fighting off the ever-assaulting waves of sleep.

"You did well back there," she said, gesturing to a sleeping Clementine.

"She's a great kid."

"You sure her parents are in Savannah?"

"Yeah. That's what she said"

She looked over and realized exactly how exhausted Lee was. There were prominent bags under his eyes and his head was unconsciously leaning against the side window.

"You should get some sleep"

"I'm good."

She also realized in that moment why Lee had been fighting so much to stay awake. He didn't trust her. At first she was angry. She had given up everything to take Lee to Savannah and could very easily be arrested for aiding and abetting him. But when she glanced towards him again, and saw him watching Clementine, a look of concern etched on his face, she began to understand. He had someone else depending on him now.

"I'm not going to turn you in, you know" she stated, eyes glued to the road, "if I was, I would have done it by now". Lee just stared at her.

"I made a promise" he said slowly, surprising her, "I have to make it to Savannah"

"Then get some sleep. I'll wake you in the morning" Carley replied, turning to look at him directly. It was too late though. He was already asleep.

* * *

"Lee" a voice called out from the dark abyss. For a moment he was frightened that it was yet another nightmare, but the voice was kind and persistent, finally he opened his eyes.

It was Carley.

"I have to stop and get gas," she told him. It was bright outside; they must have been driving for a while.

"Ok" he said, not fully understanding why she had woken him up. Looking towards the back of the car he saw Clem, who was looking out the window at the passing trees. When she looked over at him she smiled slightly.

When he glanced back at Carley, he noticed that she was pulling over the car, an impatient look on her face.

"What?" Lee asked, raising his eyebrow.

"You've got to hide" she said, "We're not in rural Georgia yet"

Lee had instructed her to get out of the city as fast as she could. He wanted to head to an old inn located along the road to rural Georgia. It was a few hours away from the planned road to Savannah, but it would be worth it to have a place to stay the night and finalize everything for their eventual arrival to the heavily populated Georgia city.

"Where?" he asked, "the backseat?"

"No. It's too great a risk. Any movement would be recognized…I've got an idea"

* * *

"This sucks" Lee said as Carley shut the trunk door.

"Stop complaining" Carley ordered, leaning against the car so that he could hear her voice. Lee just knew she had a smile on her face.

The trunk itself was small and cramped, and Lee had to bring his knees up to his chest in order to fit.

"Do you want anything from the store?"

"Some coffee…and a history book" he said, "I could really go for a history book"

She sighed and slapped the trunk of the car with her hand. "Hold on tight"

He could have sworn he heard her giggle as she walked to the passenger seat.

* * *

"What do you say we take a few bumpy roads on the way to the gas station?" Carley said when she re-entered the car.

Clementine smiled but secretly she was worried about Lee. Would he be ok back there?

"He'll be ok back there, right?" she asked, looking away whenever Carley made direct eye contact with her.

"Yeah sweetie" Carley responded in a friendly manner, "He'll be fine"

"Why don't you come up here?" she gestured, pointing to Lee's now uninhabited seat.

Not wanting to be rude, Clementine nodded and slowly worked her way up to the passenger seat. She was amazed at the view the seat offered her. She had never been allowed to sit up front before and she leaned forward in excitement.

Carley smiled at the girl's child-like amazement. They had a few more minutes until the gas station and she decided to strike up conversation with the girl.

"My name's Carley by the way"

"I'm Clementine" she said, eyes still glued to the road.

"That's a pretty name"

"So is yours" Clementine said, smiling. "One of my friends at school was named Carley"

Carley smiled, "What grade are you in?"

"First…it's really easy," she added.

"I'll bet. You seem pretty smart!"

Clem smiled.

As the entrance to the gas station approached, Carley noticed that there was a particularly big speed bump. She suddenly had an idea. Grinning, and remembering the bumpy road proposal, she told Clementine to hold on tight and began to pick up speed.

"What are you do-" Clementine began, only to be cut off by the sound of the car bouncing hard against he speed bump. From the back of the car, she could hear a load thud coming from the trunk. Carley's muffled laughter filled the car.

Clementine winced.

"Don't worry," she said kindly, "He's ok. I'm just having a little bit of fun with him."

Clementine smiled slightly but was still worried; it had been a pretty big thud.

Once inside, Carley had made her way towards the coffee pots, and, remembering her promise to Lee, began grabbing both a cup for him and for her. She was almost finished when something caught her eye. Taking a closer look, she could not believe her eyes. Sitting in the middle of the gas station was a pile of books. The few on top were even history related. She sighed to herself and grabbed the one on top.

She went back to the coffee and was almost finished putting the lids on top when she heard a scream coming from the bathroom. Carley froze.

It was Clementine.

* * *

"I have to go to the bathroom," Clementine said, looking up at Carley. Unconsciously her left hand drifted across her body to her right arm, where she rubbed a random spot.

Carley smiled down at her and she smiled unconsciously back. Clementine knew that she was growing to like the woman.

There was that nagging suspicion though, that she couldn't be trusted. That small part of Clementine reminded her that while people could appear to be good and honest, in reality they were just people who would hurt her any chance they got. No one could be trusted, the voice told her, not even Lee.

Clementine pushed the thought out of her head and moved towards the back of the gas station where she had seen the bathroom sign. She turned the knob and was about to enter the bathroom when a sight made her freeze.

Sandra.

"What are you doing out of bed?!" the voice asked her. Clementine backed up slowly.

"I told you about getting out of bed past your bedtime".

Clementine could almost smell the alcohol that radiated from the woman. She backed up quicker now, the woman following her the entire time. Clem lost her footing, however, when a carelessly tossed can tripped her. Gasping, Clem fell to the floor and reflexively reached her hands out to shield her face. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.

"GET BACK TO BED!" Sandra yelled, her voice so shrill and aggressive that it sent chills down Clementine's spine.

Sandra's hand moved like it was in slow motion. Clem watched as it was brought closer and closer to her prone form and right before it made contact with her, she closed her eyes and screamed.

A few seconds later, a hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped, shouting and crying that she would go back to bed. "Please don't hit me!"

"Clementine?" the voice asked, "what's the matter?"

Clementine slowly spread her fingers enough to look through them. It was Carley.

"S….Sandra" Clementine said shakily, her voice seemed caught in her throat.

"Where?"

Clem quickly pointed her towards Sandra's direction but refused to look herself.

After a few moments, Carley spoke again, "Clem sweetie…there's no one there."

* * *

Clem slowly looked back at the bathroom door. Carley was right. There was no one there.

Carley went back to the coffee and allowed Clementine some privacy in the bathroom. Try as she might, Carley could not get her heart to stop pounding. In her hurry to get to the girl, she had managed to knock over one of the cups and could still feel a slight burn on her arm where the hot liquid had seared her skin. She still couldn't figure out what to make of the scene.

Clementine had been frightened, that much was certain, and her face looked like she had seen a ghost. When Carley asked her about it though, the girl refused to answer and practically shut down. Anything beyond a simple nod was like pulling teeth and eventually Carley just gave up and walked back to the car with the girl behind her. Tapping the hood of the trunk twice to let Lee know that they were leaving, Carley made sure Clem was situated in the back seat before she started the car. Taking one last look at the girl, who was starring out the window, Carley started the car and made her way out of the parking lot.

* * *

"Finally!" Lee exclaimed, using the balance of the car to stretch his legs.

Carley had driven a few miles past the gas station and turned onto an abandoned patch of road where the large amount of surrounding trees would cover them.

"Yeah yeah" she said, grabbing one of the coffee and handing it to him. He accepted the cup gratefully, but looked at her through narrowed eyes as he took his first sip.

"Went a little fast pulling into the gas station don't you think?"

Carley did all she could not to smirk, but Lee caught it anyway. "Not really"

He was going to press further into the incident but his eyes had traveled to the back seat of the car where Clem was sitting and he frowned.

"What's up with Clem?" he asked, not taking his eyes of her.

"There was an…incident at the gas station"

Lee didn't bother hearing anything else. Quickly, fearing the worst, he made his way past Carley and towards the passenger door. She didn't look up at him as he opened it, but the slight jump her body made told him she was aware of his entrance.

"Clem" he said softly, crouching down to make direct eye contact with her despite his knees pains of protest, "what's wrong?"

"nothing" she said softly. Her eyes were still glued to the ground.

"Carley told me that there was an incident at the gas station."

"….."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lee couldn't stand to see her like this. He had grown extremely attached to the young girl in the past couple of days and seeing her this way was tugging at his heartstrings.

Clem shook her head slightly and finally brought her gaze up to meet his, all the while trying to force a smile. "i'm ok"

The frown didn't leave his face. She was certainly not ok. He was frustrated. He wanted to help her in any way he could, but he knew that he couldn't push things. When Clem was ready to talk to him then he would be there for her.

"Ok…." He said, placing his hand reassuringly on her arm, "I'm here if you want to talk. You know that right? We're a team now, you and I, so if you need anything, I'm your guy."

"yeah" she said, showing Lee just a tiny amount of a genuine smile, "thanks"

Slowly, Lee raised himself back up from the ground and winced as a few joints cracked at the motion. He carefully closed the car door and walked back to Carley, who was staring out at the entrance they had came from. She handed him back his coffee when he approached her.

"Any luck?" she asked.

"None" he replied, looking at Clem for a moment before returning his focus to Carley, "She doesn't want to talk about it"

"Don't worry" Carley said, placing a hand on Lee's shoulder in much the same way Lee had done for Clementine moments ago, "I'm sure she'll be ok. Just give her some time Lee, she trusts you, she'll tell you what's wrong."

Lee hoped she was right.

"Come on" she said again, taking her hand off his shoulder and making her way towards the car, "Tell me where we're going again."

"A friend of mine owns a motor inn a couple of hours down the road. I used a cell phone to call her while locked in that god-awful trunk. We'll be safe there until I can figure out the best way to get to Savannah undetected."

"How did you get a cell phone?"

Lee smirked and reached into his pocket. Moments later he pulled out a cell phone Carley immediately noticed was hers,

"Hey!" she exclaimed, snatching the phone away from the man. "You stole my cell phone?!"

"You hit that speed bump"

She punched him in the arm angrily and he smiled.

It was going to be an interesting couple of hours, she said to herself.

* * *

The drive turned out to be not as terrible as Carley had feared. Clementine had been silent the entire time, drifting in and out of sleep. Lee was stuck between checking up on Clementine through a rear view mirror, and attempting to navigate the roads through an ever-increasing darkness. Carley for her part was divided between driving the car and mulling over her thoughts about Lee Everett.

At first she was certain that Lee Everett had killed his wife. There was not a doubt in her mind, even after he had shown her the mysterious note. But now, watching him out of the corner of her eye check up once again on the sleeping girl in the back of the car, a frown etched on his face, she was not so sure. Her mind began to question facts that she had been told. She had never done that before.

She was hooked now more than ever, and made a promise to watch him as much as possible. She sensed that she was finally getting to understand the real Lee Everett.

"There it is" he said, his voice pulling her out of her thoughts.

A giant sign that advertised the motor inn was the only thing that illuminated the nearby area in the darkness. Pulling in, Carley could see that it was a typical inn, n shaped in design with each wall filled with four rooms on the top and bottom floor, a parking lot filled up the remaining space. Right now there was only one car parked in the lot and it was in the designated manager's spot. Carley pulled into one of the spots and shut off the car.

"Wait here" Lee said, opening the door and disappearing into the night before Carley had a chance to stop him.

She sighed and checked the back seat, expecting to find Clementine asleep. Instead, she found the girl wide awake, staring in the direction Lee had just disappeared from, a small frown on her face so much like the one Lee had earlier that Carley had to stop herself from smiling.

A few moments later Lee returned, a smile of achievement resonating from his face. "We're good for the night!"

Carley quickly made her way out of the car while Lee helped Clementine. When they were all ready, Lee led them to the manager's office. Knocking twice, the door opened to reveal a lady with brown hair and brown eyes the color of chestnuts.

The lady looked from Lee to Carley to Clementine, where her eyes stopped and seemed to widen. "You didn't say anything about a kid!"

Suddenly, Clementine paled and moved behind Lee, all the while trying very hard not to shake.

The woman noticed the child's actions and seemed to change her entire demeanor in a matter of seconds. "I'm sorry sweetie," she said, crouching down to attempt eye contact with Clem, who was still securely behind Lee, "I didn't mean to scare you, you just surprised me. I'm Lilly"

"I'm Clementine" Carley was impressed, Clem's voice didn't waver or anything.

Lee placed a hand on Clem's head in an attempt to sooth her. "It's ok sweet pea. Lilly's a friend of mine."

Nodding, Clementine slowly came out from behind him, but stayed pretty close. Lee smiled.

"Thank you for helping us out Lil" Lee said, smiling at her. She smiled back.

Carley thought she was going to throw up.

"I've got two rooms for you Lee." Lilly said, handing him the keys. "You are in the one with the single, while the two ladies can take the room next door with the two singles."

"I can't stay with Lee?" Clementine asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

Lilly smiled, "I'm sorry sweetheart, but my dad wouldn't like it if you were staying in a room alone with Lee"

Clem looked down.

"It's ok sweet pea," Lee said, tapping the brim of her hat, "I'll be right next door if you need me. "

Clem bit her lip and looked down. They were supposed to be a team, right? Then why was Lee putting her with Carley?

'It's because he can't be trusted' the dark voice in the back of her head told her. She tried to block it out, but Lee's words only gave it strength. It voiced every doubt, every fear she had. Desperately she tried to deny her doubts. Lee wasn't leaving her. He promised.

"Clem and I have become good friends" Carley smiled at the girl. Clem didn't feel like it, but she smiled back. She didn't want to hurt Carley's feelings.

"It's late" Lilly said as Lee handed a key to Carley, "Everyone get a good night's sleep and…", she looked to Lee, "We'll talk in the morning".

"Thanks Lilly"

* * *

_"I, Lee Everett, take you, Rachael Porter, to be my lawful wedded wife"_

The sound of footsteps filled his ears. His vision was black.

_"To have and to hold, from this day forward" _

His vision was clearing up. It was so bright. Where was he?

_"For better or for worse"_

His wife's face filled his mind. It was all he could see. That one face, etched in pity, was all he could ever see. It suddenly went dark again.

_"for richer or for poorer"_

Someone was screaming

_"in sickness and in health"_

The sound of a pistols hammer being pulled back was all he could hear. His heart began to pound loudly and sweat covered his body.

_"till death do us part"_

An intense burst of light stunned him as the gun fired. His ears were ringing. Her face filled his vision again, this time, she was covered in blood.

He screamed.

* * *

Lee was getting tired of nightmares.

Groaning, he propped himself up on the bed and glanced over at the alarm clock on the bedside table.

One thirty, just two hours since they had arrived at the motor inn.

Deciding that he wasn't ready for the next nightmare just yet, Lee moved himself off the bed and headed towards the door when a noise made him stop cold.

A door closed, and it sounded like it came from next door.

Fearing the worst, Lee moved quickly to the door and cracked it open a peak and looked around. Nothing.

Slowly he moved his way out the door, but jumped when thunder roared across the sky. It almost sounded like a gunshot.

He made it to the rafters when he saw her. Sitting on the stairs huddled up against the wall with a blanket was Clementine.

He wasn't even surprised.

As he made his way over to her, he noticed how bad she looked. Her body shook like a twig.

She didn't even jump when he took a seat opposite her on the stairs. Instead of saying anything, he waited for her.

While he waited, he realized that while she looked bad from behind, she looked even worse up front. There were bags under her eyes that suggested that she hadn't slept in days and her eyes seemed wide awake, kept open as if she were terrified to close them.

Slowly, she looked over to him and offered him some of her blanket wordlessly. He smiled and scooted closer to her to where her small shoulders touched his arm, and wrapped the blanket around his body, making sure that she was still covered. When he was satisfied that she was sufficiently covered, he turned his attention back to the stairs, keeping quiet.

A slight weight against his arm made him look over and smile. Clem had rested her head against his shoulder. At least she had stopped shaking.

"I've been having nightmares" she whispered, her voice almost ghost like. "and I saw Sandra at the gas station"

"Your babysitter?" Lee asked. Clem nodded. "What happened?"

Clem explained the story to him. Everything from the entrance to the gas station to Carley telling her that there was no one there. During her story, Lee was struck by how brave this little girl was. A few times she seemed to be scared but tucked it away and continued on. She sounded more tired than anything else. Lee knew that feeling all too well.

"I've been having nightmares too" he told her. She seemed shocked by this.

"Really?"

Lee nodded.

"but your old!"

Lee knew that she meant it seriously, but he couldn't stop himself from laughing slightly at her comment.

"I'm not that old!" he told her. He saw her smile a little bit and took pride in the knowledge that it was a real smile.

"How do you forget about the nightmares? How do you make them go away?"

"You be yourself Clem" he told her reassuringly. She looked up at him confused. "You're a smart, clever, braze young lady Clem." He said, wrapping his arm around her protectively, "Sandra may be an adult, but she's no match for you!"

"and you too right? We're still a team?"

"Of course! She doesn't stand a chance!" Another genuine smile, this time much larger. "Next time you see her, you let her know that you're not scared of her anymore".

"But what if I am?" she whispered, those innocent, wide eyes, pulling at his heartstrings."

"Then you get me, and we'll tell her together".

Another crackling of thunder pierced the quiet night, but this time Clem didn't jump.

"Lee?" she asked, her voice a little stronger this time. She was more confident.

"Yeah sweet pea?"

"Could you…check the closet in the room?"

He smiled, and felt his heart melt when she let out a small yawn. "Sure"

"….and…maybe under the bed?"

"Of course" he said, helping her stand up and walking her back to her room.

Once inside, Clementine made her way drowsily into bed while he checked all the areas she wanted him to check. Meanwhile Carley was asleep on her bed, blissfully unaware of the conversation outside.

"Could you stay?" she asked in between yawns. "just until I fall asleep?"

"Sure thing" he said, taking a seat in one of the sofa chairs in the corner closest to her bed. He laughed slightly to himself as he watched her finally give up the struggle to stay awake and quickly fell into a deep slumber.

She seemed so peaceful in her sleep.

Slowly, without Lee's full and complete approval, his eyelids too began to inch closer and closer together. Before he knew it he was completely asleep. And for the first night since the whole incident started,

He had no nightmares.

**Authors Note**: A long chapter once again! I wanted to get this one out as soon as possible because the story will start picking up soon. These past few chapters have been based around the Lee/Clementine relationship and I'm sure you guys are getting a little bored with that now so I'll be moving on to other things in the proceeding chapters, but there will still be heavy emphasis on this relationship as I really want it to continue to develop (I really love these two!). In addition, I would like to remind readers that it is still a CarLee story!

I would also like to thank all the reviews, especially those who continuously comment after every chapter. It's your energy that keeps me going. It may be a few weeks before I update again because finals are coming up and I have a lot of assignments to do. That's part of the reason I updated this chapter so quickly. Last time I set a review goal of 30 to 35 before the next chapter but I feel that it was too late to assign something like that. But I'm ambitious so let's try and hit past it this time!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Carley awoke to rhythmic snoring.

It wasn't loud snoring mind you, but a rather softer one. This type of snoring invaded her subconscious and managed to drag her out of what was a rather pleasant dream.

Groaning, Carley slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes to give them time to adjust to the blinding light coming from the window by the door. The rubbing eventually turned into a stretch, as she balled her hands into fists and jutted them up towards the ceiling. A very girlish stretch, but Carley didn't mind. For some reason, she felt free in that hotel room. Free from the judging eyes of others, she was free to be herself. Free to be goofy.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, her arms still extended and a smile on her face, was Lee asleep on the chair.

"eep!" There was that involuntary screech again.

She couldn't help herself though. The surprise of seeing the man not too far from her own bed made her flinch. Whether or not it was because of his murder charge was unknown to her at that point. She lowered her arms.

"Shh!" a voice commanded.

Turning, Carley noticed Clementine sitting on the chair by the desk opposite of the older woman's bed. She looked much better. The dark and gloomy sense that had invaded the shy eight year old had dissipated almost completely now. Carley couldn't tell exactly how long the young girl had been up, but judging from the few drawings that lay on the desk, she guessed about an hour.

Clem looked at her with slightly wide eyes, a finger first pressed against her lips in the gesture that matched the command, but then she removed it and pointed to the still sleeping Lee. Smiling, Carley nodded and slowly mad her way over to the girl.

"You doing better?" she whispered, squatting down next to Clem, who was still facing the desk.

"Yeah" she said smiling, but shifted her gaze to the floor. "Sorry about yesterday…at the gas station."

She frowned and placed a hand comfortably on the young girls shoulders. She felt the girl flinch and thought that she would pull back, but Clem stayed resolute and, despite the fear that flashed briefly through her eyes, didn't move.

"That's ok sweet heart" she said reassuringly, "You don't need to apologize!"

Clem smiled slightly, and glanced up at the woman. "Thanks".

Carley was about to say something else to comfort the girl, when a knock on the door startled them both.

The snoring stopped.

Carley watched as Clem looked over to the man on the chair and saw him shift slightly. But he was still asleep. Clem let out a sigh of relief and quickly moved to the door before the knock could fully awaken the sleeping man. When the door opened, it revealed the stall and intimidating frame of Lilly, a frown eminent on the woman's face and her hands were placed firmly on her hips.

Before Clem could motion for the older woman to keep quiet, Lilly moved into the room and past her, eyes narrowed and focused on the sleeping male figure. She probably didn't even see Clem.

"I knew it!" Lilly declared, pointing a finger accusingly at Lee.

Before Lilly could get to him, however, a smaller form blocked her way. The older woman stopped her advancements and looked down at the young girl. Carley watched at the scene and couldn't help but admire Clem's actions. Just yesterday, Clem had been afraid of Lilly, but now she stood her ground. Lilly's face softened as she gazed down at the girl, one eyebrow extended.

"Don't be mad," Clem pleaded. She broke eye contact to look at the ground. "I asked Lee to stay until I fell asleep. He must have fallen asleep too."

She was good, Carley though to herself. Those big, puppy dog eyes of hers were enough to soften even the hardest of hearts. Clem, for her part, seemed unaware of the effects she could produce.

Lilly sighed, throwing her hands up. "Ok" she said, moving past the girl and over to the sleeping man's form. "Lee" the woman said, poking his chest with her fingers.

Nothing

"Lee!" Lilly said impatiently, jabbing a little harder.

Still Nothing.

"LEE!" she yelled, punching him.

"The battle of Gettysburg" Lee groaned, slowly shaking his head whilst still in a dream like state.

"Yeah yeah" Lilly said, the man's humorous uttering clearly not affecting her. "You have a few more seconds before I go get water."

This seemed to do the trick. Lee's eyes opened wide only to shut again when the light was too intense. "You promised to never to that again!"

"I made no such promise," she said, shooting a glance over to Carley and Clem and saw puzzled looks.

"When Lee was in college" Lilly explained, "he was always running late for class. On the day of our final exam, five minutes before the test, I walked in to this idiot's" she said, kicking Lee with her foot, he groaned, "sleeping form still in bed. I swear if I hadn't have walked in, he would have failed World Civ."

"yeah yeah" Lee groaned, bringing his hands to his eyes and rubbing the sleep out of them.

"When I tried to wake him up. Nothing! Like a brick! I'll have you know that I asked him three times, very nicely might I add, and when he didn't answer, I found a pitcher and filled it up with tap water."

"And dumped it on my face. I'm pretty sure you threw the pitcher too"

"Details….details"

Lee sighed and gazed around the room, locking eyes with Clementine, who smiled at him and glanced to the desk in eagerness of showing him something. Slowly he made his way up off the chair and moved the short distance towards her.

"What's up sweet pea?"

"Nothing" she replied, rolling on the balls of her feet in anticipation, "come see what I drew!" She reached out her hand then to grab hold of his and led him to the desk, passing a somewhat shocked Lilly and Carley.

Obviously something had happened to the girl, and Carley berated herself for missing such an important moment. But nonetheless, she was glad for Clem. The girl had really found her way into the older woman's heart.

"But that was a long time ago" Lilly said, the first to recover and continue the conversation.

"not that long ago" Lee replied, looking up briefly from the child's drawings.

"I don't know Lee" Lilly replied, mischief evident in her voice. "I mean, you are getting up there in years now. Everything must seem like yesterday when you're fifty!"

Lee smirked, "I am not fifty"

"I'm pretty sure you're fifty."

"I'll have you know I'm thirty six"

"When's your birthday again?"

"…."

"I'm sorry what?" Lilly leaned in a little and cupped her ears in sarcasm.

"Tuesday" Lee responded softly, referring to a date that was only five days away.

"That's right" Lilly said triumphantly, "You're old!".

Lee was no longer engaged in the conversation, whether it was to mope or to focus on Clem's drawings, however, was impossible to discern.

"Come on grandpa" Lilly said, moving past Carley, who nodded her approval at her previous treatment, to Lee, punching him in the arm playfully. "Let's go for a run".

"A what?!" Lee said, his full attention now on the women in front of him.

"A run" she said, jogging in place to be sarcastic.

"I can't go on a run!" Lee gestured

"Because your fat?" Carley added, joining in on Lilly's fun.

"NO NOT BECAUSE I'M FAT! It's because I'm kind of a wanted man."

"Don't worry so much. We'll take the back roads; never even go near the highway. All abandoned stretches. Besides…" she said, locking eyes with the man, "you and I need to talk."

Lee sighed and bent his knees to make eye contact with Clem, who was sitting on the chair.

"Are you ok with me going?" he asked, referring back to their conversation last night.

Clem had mixed feelings about letting him go. On the one hand, she was still a little afraid of the return of her nightmares, especially Sandra. But Lee's words had given her courage; maybe she was strong enough to face the drunken babysitter who haunted her dreams. Plus, it would be selfish for her to keep Lee here when his friend wanted to spend time with him.

"Yeah" she said, smiling at him.

Lee was hoping she was going to say no.

"Well then" he said, sitting back up and bringing one of his hands to rest atop of Clem's head, "I guess it's set".

"I'll take Clem to the local general store while your gone. I've been meaning to pick up a few things." Carley said, offering to help look after Clem.

Lee nodded. This was going to suck.

* * *

"Jesus!" Lee exclaimed with what little breath he had left. It seemed like they had been running for hours. "How long have we been running?"

"Fifteen minutes" Lilly replied, sounding as if she had just taken a brisk stroll through the park.

Lee stopped then and placed his hands on his knees. He had never been a big fan of running. Lilly sighed and stood next to him, wiping the one bead of sweat that had formed on her forehead.

"Come on" She said, slapping his back, "we can walk for a little bit".

Lee nodded and they moved deeper into the forest.

"You never were much for running"

"You got the physical stuff, I handled the mental" He replied. She laughed and punched him.

"So what happened?" Lilly asked suddenly, referring, Lee knew, to his wife's death.

"I don't know" he responded, exhausted. "I really don't know". He explained everything to her then, everything from walking into their affair to meeting with Clem again after the hospital incident. He couldn't help but feel depressed. Focusing on Clem had managed to keep the darkness at bay, but now, reliving his past memories in detail, he felt like the weight of the situation was now firmly back on his shoulders.

"Damn" Lilly said, after a few minutes of silence. "Just wow".

"I know"

"And Clementine…she was really just left alone?"

"Yeah. And she still managed to get help me out when I needed it."

"And that's why you agreed to take her to Savannah?"

Lee nodded. "Yeah. She's a great kid. She's priority one when I get to Savannah."

Lilly smiled, "She's good for you."

"What do you mean?"

"You two are good for each other." She corrected, "I see everything you know!" she wagged her finger at him. "The way you smile when she talks to you! It's the same when you talk to her. When that other woman-"

"Carley" Lee told her, remembering that Lilly and Carley were never properly introduced.

"When Carley or I try to talk to the girl, she's completely quiet, eyes downward, maybe an occasional small smile. But when **you** talk to her" Lilly turned to smile at him, "it's all smiles, she looks you right in the eyes, grabs you hand!"

Lee smiled. He hadn't really thought much about the relationship he had with Clem. He just did what he though was right.

"I never really thought about it like that," Lee said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well you had better start thinking about it" Lilly said, suddenly serious. "That little girl adores you. What are you going to do if you can't find her parents?"

Lee was speechless. "I'm not sure," he eventually said. "I would help find her a home. Somewhere safe; Maybe with Carley".

"And what about you?"

Lee looked at her seriously, then let out a sigh.

"There's no way this ends well for me."

Lilly was about to ask exactly what he meant when a sound broke through the previously abandoned forest and startled the two. For Lee, the sound had become a familiar one. One he had been hearing every night for the past couple of days.

A gunshot.

* * *

"Whatcha doing Clem?" Carley asked, drying her hair after her brief shower.

Clem sighed and crumbled another drawing into a ball. It was the fifth one to undergo this fate.

"I'm trying to draw something for Lee's birthday." She said depressed, "but I can't think of what to draw."

Clem had been thinking about what to draw for the past half hour. A house, A cat, even a picture of her and Lee didn't seem to be enough. She wanted her present to be special, something that would make him smile.

"He's been frowning too much." She said to Carley.

"You think?" the woman asked back. Carley had seen it too, but didn't want to worry the girl.

"Yeah. He tries to hide it when he talks, but I've seen it. He's been having nightmares."

Carley was touched by Clem's concern but wasn't really that surprised. Clem and Lee seemed to be on a completely different wavelength. She found herself wondering again exactly what had happened last night to bring the girl back out of her shell.

"Come on sweetie" she said, throwing the towel on her bed and grabbing the keys from the nightstand. "Let's go see if we can find anything at the convenience store.

"Ok"

* * *

Once the ladies arrived at the store, Carley had let Clem explore a few aisles by herself. The older woman made sure to keep Clem in her vision, however, she didn't want a repeat of the gas station.

"Do you see anything?" she asked.

"Noth-" Clem started, and a quick gasp followed.

Carley didn't wait for whatever came next. She ran to where Clem was standing and glanced around urgently.

"I found it!" Clem said excitedly, showing it to Carley with a smile. Carley had never seen the girl smile like that.

She had to hand it to Clem; it was a pretty good idea. Might take a little while to complete, but she thought Lee would absolutely love it.

"Alright" Carley said, picking up the item "I like it! Let me just grab a few things and we can get out of here."

As the two made their way to the other end of the store, Carley passed the children's section and paused. Taking a glance at Clem, in the same outfit she had been wearing since they met, she decided to make a detour.

"Come on" she said, pointing to a pair of jeans in the corner. "Let's see if we can find you something nice."

* * *

By the time Lilly and Lee had made it to where the sound originated, they were forced to hide.

There, by the side of the road, was a robbery in progress.

Two masked men stood outside a broken down RV while a third was rummaging around inside. On the side of the road, huddled close to each other, was a man, a woman, and a child.

Although neither could make out exactly what was going on, the man sounded pissed.

"We should help them!" Lee said.

"Are you kidding?" Lilly replied, "That's three versus two, and they have guns! And what if the police show up?"

"We can't just leave those people there! There's a kid over there!"

Lilly sighed. "Fine. What do you suggest we do?"

"Grab a stick"

* * *

"I look like a boy," Clem muttered, looking in the mirror.

"Don't be silly sweetheart! You look great!" Carley said, looking at the same mirror. She had picked out a basic pair of black jeans and a blue t-shirt with a red draw string hoodie. It had been getting colder recently and Carley wanted to make sure the girl was covered.

Carley looked as the younger girl looked away from the mirror and to the ground, biting her lip. "Are you sure?"

Carley moved to stand behind Clem and bent down, poking her head out by the girl's left shoulder. "Promise", she said, placing a hand reassuringly on each of the girl's shoulders.

Clem smiled slightly, and looked back at the mirror. "Ok"

* * *

Lee moved quickly through the forest, seeking cover behind trees. Lilly moved silently behind him. Every step seemed to take a minute. All the while, the sound of shouting filled the surrounding area.

Things were escalating fast.

The man on the ground was arguing with one of the gunman and although Lee could no longer see what was happening, he was sure that it wasn't good.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they had successfully crossed the road a little way away from the robbery, and were working their way back. This position would allow them to move along the opposite side of the RV and take the two gunmen by surprise.

"This has to be quick," Lee whispered when the two were directly across from the back of the RV.

Lilly nodded.

Clutching the stick in his hand, the two moved slowly to the RV, making as little noise as possible. It didn't matter anyway, for the noise had escalated to the point of covering any little slip.

"YOU'RE A FUCKING COWARD!" the man yelled. Lee assumed it was the one on the ground.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH OLD MAN!"

Lee's heart had apparently finally realized what was about to happen and started thundering in his chest. Pretty soon it was all he could hear. He looked to Lilly and she nodded at him.

Taking a deep breath, he moved to the back end of the RV and turned into the small section that was visible only to oncoming traffic. He glanced around the corner and saw the two gunmen's backs. He quickly glanced over to the other man on the ground and saw the redness in his face. They didn't have much time.

"Let's go," he whispered.

"Ok"

The next few seconds seemed to be hours. They moved around the corner as slowly as possible and stuck to the wall of the RV, crouching to avoid detection. The sticks they clutched in their hands were pretty thick; they were lucky to have come across them.

The first person to see them was the child. His eyes darted over to them and Lee though he was about to say something. Quickly then, Lee- still moving- placed a finger over his lips in the ceremonial signed for silence and the child seemed to understand. Lucky for Lee, the gunmen had been too focused on the older man that they didn't see the child glance over.

Lee was right behind them now, and was about to bring his stick over the first one's head when he heard a shout.

"HEY!" It was the third gunman from the window of the RV.

Quickly, faster than Lee had even been before, he brought the stick down on the man's head, Lilly did the same, and the two men were on the ground in a few seconds.

Like a bullet, the man who had been held captive on the ground was up, had grabbed a gun from one of the men on the ground and was working his way up the RV. "GET OUT OF THERE!" he yelled, disappearing into the vehicle. Lilly and Lee looked at each other.

"Should we?" she asked, gesturing to the RV.

Lee nodded.

The RV looked trashed. Food, clothes, magazines, and various other pages littered the floor and couch, looking as though a tornado hit it. In the center of the room, the man who had previously been held captive and the third gunman were at a standoff.

Both had guns pointed at the other.

"YOU'D BETTER PUT THAT GUN DOWN BOY!" the older man said.

The gunman didn't respond. Obviously he hadn't been expecting this.

"We've got to do something" Lee whispered, Lilly seemed lost in thought. Suddenly she shrugged and threw the stick at the gunman.

It was a pretty good throw.

The stick had managed to throw the gunman off guard, and he stumbled backwards, dazed.

Lee moved quickly, bringing his full weight to bear on the masked man and in a few seconds he was on the ground.

The masked man struggled, but Lee was too powerful. Quickly, Lee brought his own stick down on the man's head and he stopped moving.

"Unconscious" Lee said, as he got up off the floor and turned to face the only person who now had a gun. "Mind lowering that?"

"Yeah", the man said, bringing the gun down slowly. "Thanks for the help"

"No problem" the two replied.

Lilly looked at Lee, "I'll go check on the woman and kid."

"Yeah" Lee said, the adrenaline that had been running through his veins slowly dissipating.

When Lilly left the RV he made his way over to the man. "You ok?"

"Yeah" he nodded slowly, the full weight of what had just happened seemed to be sinking in. "Long day"

A shout seemed to break the two men out of their stupors. Within seconds, the boy was inside the RV. "Dad! Did you see that! He was all over them in a few seconds" he said, pointing to Lee, "It was so cool!"

"Don't harass the man," the father said, shifting his gaze from his son to Lee.

"I'm Kenny"

"Lee", Lee replied, too tired to notice that he probably should have used a fake name.

The man's eyes seemed to shoot up but before he could utter the sentence, his wife beat him too it.

"Lee Everett?!" she exclaimed, moving into the RV but stopping when she had seen him.

"…Shit"

The gun was up again and Lee felt his hands go up reflexively. "Easy there"

"Dad!" the boy said, tugging on his dad's shirt, "He saved us".

Kenny looked from Lee to his son, then his wife. Lee could see the tight grip the man had on the gun and scooted a little out of the way in case it went off accidently.

Or just went off.

Moments of incredibly tense silence followed. And Lee was suddenly regretting his decision to help. How could he have been so stupid?

"Fine" Kenny said, bringing Lee out of his sudden thoughts. He lowered the gun. "I don't know what happened between you and your wife, but you helped us out back there" he said, pointing to the unconscious man, "and I appreciate it."

"Ok then" Lee exclaimed in relief, every eye was still on him.

"Hello there!" an unknown voice shouted from outside, breaking through the tense atmosphere suddenly.

Everyone froze.

"Wait right here" Lilly said, walking out of the RV to check the source of the noise. Kenny went with her.

Lee looked through the window on the opposite side of the RV and saw that the voice belonged to a man in the car on the opposite side of the road.

"You all ok?" the man in the station wagon asked.

"We're fine" Lilly said calmly, flashing him a smile. "Just a little car trouble, we're done now though."

"Oh ok" the man replied, and Lee could see that he was a white man with brown eyes and equally matching brown hair. He seemed familiar, but Lee couldn't exactly place his finger on it. His voice gave him chills

"Thanks for your concern" Lilly said. And Lee watched as the man nodded and drove off. "Weird" he said to the woman and child still in the car.

"You guys shouldn't be out here by yourselves" Lilly said, continuing the conversation as both she and Kenny walked back inside.

"The engine's broken" the woman said, her accent sounded Belgian, but Lee couldn't really tell. "We've been stuck here for a few days."

"I've got an inn" Lilly said, trying to end the conflict as peacefully as she could. "You could stay there until the engine gets fixed."

"Can we dad?" the boy said, jumping up and down. "It's really boring here!"

Lee saw Kenny look at him and he could see the caution in his eyes. "The doors have locks".

Kenny looked away.

"Ok" Kenny said finally, making eye contact with Lilly. "Thank you."

"And how do you propose we get this thing back to the inn?" Lee asked Lilly.

She smiled at him, and he shuddered. It was never a good sign.

"We push it"

"…..Crap"

* * *

Carley was getting worried. She had expected Lilly and Lee to be back by now. They had left before Clem and her had gone to the store and that trip had taken a few hours. They still had a few more hours until it was supposed to get dark, but Carley wasn't sure what she would do if they didn't come back tonight. From her position on the second floor, she could see a little ways down the street and somewhat into the forest directly in front of the inn.

Nothing.

A banging sound brought her attention to the parking lot, where Clementine was kicking a soccer ball to a tin vat a few feet away.

The girl was bored.

Carley had tried everything to entertain the girl but she wasn't used to dealing with kids for an extended period of time and eventually she ran out of ideas.

Suddenly, a sight on the horizon caught her attention. An RV was slowly making its way down the road and towards the inn. It was moving slowly though, and as it got closer, she could see the people pushing it.

It was Lee and Lilly.

"They're back!" Carley called out. Clementine looked up excitedly.

* * *

"Dear god!" Lee said, pushing the RV into the parking lot. His shirt was covered in sweat and he was sure he was going to pass out.

"That was fun!" the boy (Duck, Kenny had told him) said as he ran out of the RV.

"Easy for you to say kid" Lilly replied, equally out of breath, "you rode in there the whole time".

Lee dropped to him knees and was about to fully sit, when a figure suddenly moved in front of him.

"Here" Clem said, handing him one of the water bottles Carley had picked up from the store. Lee accepted it gladly.

"My hero!" he said, taking a long gulp. Clem smiled.

"You guys ok?" Carley asked, moving down the stairway and towards the group.

"Yeah" Lilly replied, moving towards them. Clem handed her a bottle and the woman accepted it with a smile.

"Speak for yourself!" Lee said, finishing off the bottle.

"Stop being a wimp!"

Lee sighed and looked around. He didn't really feel like dealing with anything else. He just needed to relax. "I think I'm going to jump in the shower. Everything aches"

Lilly nodded, "I'll show these people to their room".

"Thanks"

* * *

"So much better" Lee said to himself as he moved out of his room. The shower had taken about half an hour but it had been worth it. His muscles had finally relaxed and the burning feeling in his feet had gone away.

Grabbing hold of the rail, he looked down on Clem, who was still kicking that soccer ball against the tin. She had moved back a little, so that she had to kick harder.

Lee smiled at the girl. She seemed bored. The kicking of the ball was rhythmic; she did it because she had nothing else to do.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and he grinned mischievously. Slowly, making sure not to bring attention to what he was doing, he moved down the stairs and towards the girl. Making sure his target did not see him; he waited for her to get ready to kick the ball again.

Right before her foot made contact, Lee acted. He ran right by her and kicked the ball with his foot, bringing it with him.

"Hey!" she said, turning to look at him.

Lee raised his hands up, feigning innocence. "What?"

"I was playing with that!"

"This?" he asked, kicking the ball a little bit. She nodded.

"Well then I guess you're going to have to come and get it!"

She smiled then, realizing what he was doing. Just when Lee thought that she wasn't going to, she took off, managing in a few seconds to cross the distance, all the while her eyes were locked on her target.

"No you don't!" he said, kicking it a little ways from them both. Clem laughed and zoomed after it.

Lee had gone after it too and was about to kick it away again when she passed him, kicking the ball herself.

"Hey!" Lee shouted, running after her. Clem squealed and ran faster.

The game continued like that. Every once in a while the ball would get loose and the two would chase it around the parking lot, occasionally stealing it from the other. Their laughter filled the empty parking lot and Carly, Katjaa, and Lilly had come out to enjoy the sight.

"Goal!" Clem said out of nowhere, kicking the ball past the tin vat.

"What?!" Lee exclaimed. "We're not doing points!"

"We're not?" Clem asked, bringing her hands up in the same innocent gesture Lee had done a few minutes earlier, a smirk clearly evident on her young face.

Lee's eyes narrowed and he took off after her. She squealed again and ran after the ball, kicking it away just in time.

The two continued to play until they couldn't play anymore. Sprawled out on the sidewalk exhausted, they continued laughing.

"You have fun with Carley today?" he asked when he could finally control his breathing.

"Uh huh" she said next to him. "I got new clothes!"

"I see" he replied, taking note of the jeans and t-shirt she was wearing. "It's looks good!"

"…I don't look like a boy right?"

He laughed, "No sweet pea"

She smiled, "and we got you a present!"

"A present? What for?"

"For your birthday!"

Lee was touched. It was then that he fully appreciated having her. Everything that Lilly had said in the woods came back to him and he felt a sudden pain knowing that she would eventually leave him to go back to her parents.

'Please' he said in his head to whatever all seeing power that could possibly be listening. 'Let me have her for just a little while longer'.

She touched his arm at his lack of a response. "Are you ok?"

He nodded, jolted from his inner thoughts. "Yeah, just a little touched. Thanks sweet pea".

She nodded and her smile seemed to widen. She was excited at seeing his reaction to his gift.

"It's getting dark," he said, gazing up at the orange sky of the setting sun.

Clem nodded.

"Come on! Let's get you ready for bed!" he said, moving up and extending a hand to help up the young girl. She took it but didn't let go after she got up.

As they were walking up the stairs to the their room, they passed a silent Kenny, who had come out some time ago to watch the two play. He didn't say anything as the two passed him but when Lee locked eyes with the man, Kenny nodded approvingly

"Man" he said out loud once the two had made it inside Clem's room and she got into bed, "What a day"

Clem nodded.

As Lee checked all the previously promised places, she watched him. Something was different though. Fear, the ultimate reason for his search, seemed absent in the girl's eyes. Instead, something else took it's place. Lee couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it caused her to smile at him as he took his seat next to her bed.

"Hey Lee?" she called him, drawing his attention from one of the girl's drawings Carley had managed to hang up on the wall.

"Yeah?"

She seemed like she wanted to say something, he could see it. But there seemed to be an inner struggle raging inside the girl, for he could see it in her eyes. There was something she desperately wanted to tell him, to say to him, something that explained why her smile seemed even brighter tonight, but her ever present caution prevented her.

Finally, in exasperation, she sighed. "Goodnight".

"Goodnight sweet pea".

Slowly, she fell asleep.

He was just about to close his eyes too, to brave the ever challenging chaos that were his dreams, when Carley made her way into the room and roused him.

"What's up Carley?" he asked, the possibility of sleep dulling his senses.

She looked at him seriously, "I think it's time we talked".

**Author's Note**: Well, there's chapter five! I hope you all enjoyed it! Things won't continue to be this good for our hero though as his birthday in the next chapter will see both good and bad events!

I've also extremely grateful to all those who read and review my story! This one took a little longer to get out because I had some schoolwork to get done and the next one may be along the same lines. But fear not! It shall get done! And as always, I would like to invite those shyest of us who have yet to make their opinions on this story known to please do so. I don't bite! I'm hardly even bit! (It's just a scratch….I promise!)

Until next time!

**Update (4.22.13) **I added a little more to this chapter towards the end because I didn't really like the quick ending that I had used originally. I'll try to send out messages to those who reviewed already as it sets up the scene for the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note (Quick): To those of you who are unaware, I added a little to the end of chapter five which sets the scene for the opening of this chapter. It's only a little bit at the end. **

Taking one last look at the sleeping girl on the bed across from him, Lee grabbed the chair and moved towards Carley, who sat expectantly on her bed.

"What up?" he asked, placing the chair across from her.

"I figured we should start…the interview." Carley said, and Lee was surprised to see her look down.

"Sure" he said, settling into a comfortable position, "but why now?"

She didn't say anything, instead opting to shift through her bag in an attempt to find something. Lee took the signal and silently understood what it meant.

In case he didn't make it once they entered Savannah.

As much as he didn't want to think about it, he knew that it was an extremely likely possibility that he wouldn't be coming back from Savannah. His thoughts drifted immediately back to Clementine and his conversation with Lilly in the woods. If something happened to him in Savanna, could he entrust Clem to Carley?

When she grabbed what she was looking for out of her bag, she allowed herself to look back up.

He nodded at her, demonstrating a lack of ill feeling.

"Sorry" she said, understanding fully the implications associated with her request.

"No problem"

The atmosphere was still tense as Carley attempted to switch on her recorder, but the failure of the device to power on caused frown lines to form on her face.

"Everything ok?" Lee asked, breaking the static tension.

Carley said nothing, but turned the device over and smacked the back a few times with her hand.

"Batteries dead?"

"I changed them a few days ago!" she said, smacking the device again.

Clem stirred.

"Here" he said, reaching to take the device from her hands before the sounds could wake the girl up.

She relented and handed the device over.

Within minutes he had examined every aspect of the device. Finally, Lee opened the back and noticed the problem immediately.

The batteries were placed incorrectly.

"Here" he said, placing the batteries in correctly and handing it back to her.

"Thanks" she mumbled embarrassed. Lee covered his mouth to stifle his laugh, but she heard him.

The glare she gave him could have melted ice. It only made him laugh harder.

"Ssh!" she whispered, pointing over to Clem. Secretly though, she was glad, at least the ice was broken.

Lee nodded and raised his hands in surrender.

Shaking her head, Carley switched on the device and set it on the bed.

"Let's get started…"

Lee spent the next two hours answering questions. While they varied in scope and topic, it managed to portray his side of the story, a side he found himself desperate to tell. During the interview Carley didn't judge him, didn't show any emotion other than understanding. She nodded after she finished a question and wrote a few things on the notepad she had placed in her lap. It was like therapy.

"Ok" she said, switching the tape off and placing it back in her bag, "I think that's enough for tonight."

Lee nodded. He didn't want it to show, but he had actually enjoyed the interview.

"I guess I'll be heading back now" he said, slowly picking the chair back up, and placing it back in its original spot.

He glanced over at Clem and smiled, she looked so peaceful as she lay there, sleeping on her side while she gripped the blanket with one hand. Gently, he placed one free hand on her head.

"Goodnight" he whispered.

* * *

The next three days proceeded in very much the same rhythmic fashion.

Clementine and Duck had formed a quick friendship and when they weren't playing together, Clem would hide herself away in her room to work on Lee's birthday present. When Lee would try and sneak a peak at what it was, she would be quick to hide it, and at one point had even kicked him out of the room. When he tried to get Carley to tell him what it was, she refused.

"She knows where I sleep," Carley had said.

Lee just sighed and walked away.

For his part, Lee divided his time between helping Kenny fix his RV, and talking to Carley. Kenny seemed to appreciate the help and had become less hostile towards Lee, eventually agreeing to listen to his story. While the man did not believe everything Lee had said, he ultimately decided not to turn Lee in.

Progress, Carley had told him.

Carley, for her part, had managed to occupy the other part of Lee's time. Since the interview something had changed between them. Lee found the woman easier to talk to, and especially easier to joke around with. The next night, instead of recording another interview, Lee and Carley just talked. He began to learn more about the incredibly strong willed reporter: her likes and dislikes, her childhood, and her dreams. They took turns asking each other questions about factors of their lives that didn't involve Lee's case, and they often found that they had talked into the hours of the early morning. Sure Lee had lost a lot of sleep these past few nights, but it had been worth it.

The following day, Kenney decided to go hunting in the woods, not because of any basic need for food, but for sport. He invited Duck, tempting him with the offer of teaching him how to shoot, and Duck invited Clementine.

"Can I go?" She asked Lee, hope and excitement bouncing in her eyes.

Lee almost had a heart attack.

"I'll go with her" Carley assured, coming to his rescue. Lee had promised Lilly that he would help her take inventory of the rooms, as a way of paying his own way. He had very little cash on hand and he was sure the police were monitoring his bank account, so he tried to do what he could around the inn to make up for their freeloading. Lilly appreciated the help.

Nodding, Lee bent down, like he normally did, and looked the young girl in the eyes. "You be careful" he said, searching into her eyes for some clue that she understood the panic and fear in his heart.

She nodded. "Will you be ok here?" Lee could have sworn he saw similar emotions, albeit not as strong.

He smiled tipping her hat, "I guess" he joked, gesturing over to Lilly, "She's pretty boring"

"Hey!" Lilly snapped, hearing him.

Clem and Lee shared a smile and before he began to get back up, she hugged him.

"You have fun, and make sure to listen to Carley and Kenny," he told her, recovering from the shock of the sudden contact.

"I will," she said, still holding onto him, "you make sure to listen to Lilly."

He laughed. "Sure thing sweet pea"

When the two parted, Lee gave one last look to Carley and she nodded at him before leading Clem over to where Kenny and Duck were already waiting.

"Come on Clementine!" Duck shouted as he saw them approach, "Dad's going to teach us how to shoot at deer!"

Lee paled.

"Come on you!" Lilly shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders and distracting him from the children's conversation, "you heard the lady, I'm in charge, and you're going to count every item in each room until we've finished the whole lot!"

"Crap"

* * *

After hours that passed by like years, Lee saw figures move towards the inn. From his position against the RV, he could only make out shadows, but as they moved closer, he found he could finally breathe again. They were back.

"How'd it go?" he asked the group as they made their way towards him.

"I hit the target!" Clem exclaimed enthusiastically. Duck, on the other hand, looked dejected.

"That's great!" he said, moving over slightly so she could sit next to him.

"She was great!" Carley said, her voice betraying excitement. "An Ace shot!"

Clem sat down next to him, and looked pretty embarrassed at all the attention, "It was fun".

"I'm glad" Lee said, wrapping an arm around her reassuringly. He really was. Hearing the girl so excited made the hours he spent agonizing over every sudden sound seem worth it.

"Did you have fun?" Clem asked.

He looked left and right, making sure Lilly was out of sight before he answered.

"Don't leave me alone with her again!"

They laughed.

That night, after Clem had fallen asleep, he got all the details from Carley. Apparently, having forgot to pack extra bullets in his hunting rifle, Kenny had taught the children to shoot using a pistol.

"He just had a pistol on him!?" Lee asked, eyes wide.

"I asked him that" Carley explained, "said something about being from Florida, and then went back to his demonstration."

Lee sighed. "Thanks for watching her."

"No problem."

They talked in their rhythmic pattern for the next couple of hours and when they decided to call it a night early; Lee walked back to his room and pondered the past couple of days.

He was beginning to get used to the constant tranquility. The past couple of days proved to be the distraction he needed from the harsh reality. No matter how hard he tried though, at the end of every night, when he was alone, staring at the ceiling from the bed, the reality sunk back in.

It was all an illusion.

He was still a wanted man. Eventually, he would have to turn himself back in. Clem would go back to her parents and Carley would go back to her life.

Lee would be alone again.

He sighed and attempted to push the thought to the back of his mind. There was no use in living in the future, better to enjoy the present and to deal with the future when it came.

Turning on his side, he risked a quick glance at the clock and it confirmed his fear.

12:00 A.M.

His birthday.

"Damn" he said aloud, "another year".

And as if God himself was adding to Lee's misery, the voice that suddenly broke the air chilled Lee to the bone. It was a voice from his past, one that he had hoped to never hear again. Yet here it was, threatening to bring the shakily established peace crashing down around him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AROUND HERE!" The voice shouted, piercing the air.

Larry.

* * *

Lee moved quickly to the window and opened the curtain to confirm his fear. There, standing in the center of the parking lot and staring at Lilly with pure rage lacing his voice, was her father.

He was just how Lee remembered him.

Angry.

"Dad" Lilly explained, holding her ground despite the towering frame of the ex-military man, "he's only staying for a couple of days."

"HE'S A WANTED MAN LILLY!"

Slowly, Lee made his way out of his room and towards the railing. Lilly was the first to notice, and slowly but quickly shook her head. Larry, however, noticed the movement and turned his gaze, making eye contact with Lee.

Larry growled, and within seconds the distance between the men was eliminated.

"AND YOU!" He exclaimed, jutting his finger into Lee's chest.

"Larry" Lee said calmly. This only seemed to infuriate the man more.

"HOW DARE YOU COME HERE!"

"It's only for a few more days."

"YOU'RE A FUCKING MURDERER!"

Lee was loosing his patience. It had always been this way, ever since he had first met the man. There was always this tension.

"It's not that simple Larry." There was tension in his voice.

"FUCKING MURDERER!" Larry emphasized each word. "AND", he said, suddenly pushing Lee up against the wall, "YOU PUT MY DAUGHTER IN DANGER!"

"DAD!" Lilly shouted, moving to stand next to her father. Worry and frustration etched her face.

"It's not like that Larry." Lee said, trying against everything to be calm.

Larry's grip tightened. He could see that the man was getting ready to launch into another round of yelling, but a soft voice floated through the air.

"lee?"

Both men turned their eyes to the young girl who stood in doorway a few feet from where Lee was pinned. Clem was still drowsy and was trying to wipe away the sleep from her eyes. She seemed oblivious to the altercation that was taking place.

Larry slackened his grip, obviously thrown off by the young girl. Lee used that opportunity to break free.

"Yeah sweet pea?" he asked, moving to her.

"there's a lot of yelling." She said, stopping any attempt to wake up and instead focused on looking between Lee and Larry.

"Sorry" he said, patting her arm, "Did we wake you?"

She nodded. Then, as if realizing the tension between the two men, grabbed Lee's hand in an attempt to pull him into the room.

He smiled at her, "Let's get you back in bed." She nodded.

Larry, recovering from the shock, was about to say something again but Lilly put a hand on his shoulder and that seemed to calm him.

"Fine" Larry conceded, "But I'll deal with you tomorrow."

Lee nodded and Clem pulled him a little more forcefully. "Ok, Ok" he laughed, "I'm coming!"

When Lee finally got Clem back into bed, she was still looking at the door.

"What's the matter?" Lee asked, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

"Who was that man?" she asked.

"Lilly's dad" Lee said, tucking the girl in, "He and I have a….complicated history".

Clem narrowed her eyes, "I don't like him"

Lee chuckled, "He's a good guy. He's just worried about his daughter."

Clem didn't seem convinced, "He's a bully."

Lee was waiting for sleep to begin to overtake the girl, but it seemed that she was wide-awake now. It seemed that sleep, once interrupted, was hard to get back. Lee, however, was a different story. The man could feel his eyes slowly dragging shut but he fought it off.

"Yeah?" Lee asked, sleep lacing both his words and his thoughts.

Clem nodded. "Mom said that you have to stand up to bullies, or get someone to help."

"Were there a lot of bullies in your school?"

"A few." she said.

Lee nodded, but he couldn't determine if it was out of agreement, or just his head moving downwards of it's own accord.

Clem seemed to notice and moved off of the bed in order to lead Lee over to his usual chair. He allowed himself to be led by the girl.

"Lee?" she asked, moving back into her own bed now that he was taken care of.

"Yeah?" he asked, drowsily.

She looked down, "We're still a team right? You and I?"

Despite the sleep, he looked up, concerned. "Absolutely. No one else I would rather have."

She smiled, and there was something in her eyes that reminded him that no matter how close the two of them had become so far, there was still a small part of her that didn't trust him. A part that was waiting-no- expecting him to leave her behind.

"Then I'm your guy" she said, smiling and nodding towards the door, "if you need help."

Despite the overwhelming numbness of sleep, Lee grinned. "Sure thing".

* * *

_Lee looked around nervously, the lights and sounds distorting him. He had always hated these places, always refused to even set foot inside the area. Yet here he was, abandoned inside Satan's playground. _

_The carnival._

_He was sure he looked ridiculous, sitting on a bench by himself looking over the various sketchy rides and different types of confection. Glancing down at his watch, he sighed. _

_She was late. _

_"Excuse me sir" a voice called, "are you lost?" _

_He looked up and grinned, "Very funny." _

_Laughing, Rachel plopped down next to him. "Sorry I'm late."_

_"Not a problem" he responded, trying his best not to show his fear of the park. _

_He failed. Badly. Additionally, he was being fairly awkward._

_"Come on!" She laughed, grabbing his arm and pushing him towards a particularly scary roller coaster. Lee, for his part, gulped. _

_"Where are we going?" He asked, allowing her to lead him and refusing to acknowledge that they were heading towards the world's sketchiest roller coaster._

_She grinned, mischievously. "You'll see."_

_(5 hours later)_

_He had never been so sick in his life. Taking a seat on the bench he had called home only five hours ago, Lee put his head in his hands and tried not to puke. Rachel, taking a seat next to him, placed a hand on his leg. _

_"You really don't like carnivals, do you?" she asked. _

_He looked up and narrowed his eyes at her. He would have loved to say more, but he didn't think he could. _

_She looked back at him, and suddenly her face changed. From her throat erupted a bubbling laugh, which she tried very hard to cut short by placing her hand over her mouth. _

_"I'm s-o-r-r-y!" she muffled. _

_When Lee shot her another look, she lost it. Clutching his arm and laying her head on his shoulder, Rachel continued to laugh. After a few minutes, Lee too began to smile. After a few minutes more he began laughing with her. _

_"You're so lucky I like you." He told her, smiling. _

_She scoffed mockingly. "That reminds me" she said, reaching into her bag, "I got you something." _

_He straightened, "Oh crap" he said panicked, "did I forget our anniversary again?" _

_She smiled, "No, you didn't. And before I give you this, you have to promise me that you won't laugh."_

_"Wh-"_

_"Promise!" she said, pinching him. _

_"OW! Ok Ok!" he said, laughing. _

_"Close your eyes" she commanded, sitting up with her bag behind her back._

_Lee sighed playfully and closed his eyes. _

_"Hold out your hands"_

_He did as commanded. Suddenly, he felt something on his left wrist. He was about to comment on it but the tying of whatever it was silenced him, and the feathery touch of her lips against his made him smile. _

_"Ok" she said, as timid as he had ever heard her, "open your eyes"._

_Slowly, he opened his eyes, and was rewarded with what looked like a friendship bracelet tied loosely around his arm. The bracelet itself was actually quite nice, he told himself. Black seemed to be the base color with a darker green, purple, and blue crisscross. When he looked over, he saw a matching one on her arm. She smiled slightly as he examined his gift but he could have sworn that she was nervous. Granted, this was a little strange, but he felt touched by the gesture._

_"Do you like it?" she asked._

_He smiled at her and lightly kissed her. "I love it."_

_She smiled back and grabbed his hand, "come on! There's still a few more rides we haven't gone on!"_

_He paled._

* * *

Sighing, Lee rubbed his eyes with his hands and leaned forward. These dreams were the worst. He could handle the blood, the screams. He had become hardened to that kind of violence. But these dreams, the ones when they were happy, it tore him up inside. He knew that it was part of the grieving process, but that knowledge didn't help.

"Morning" Carley called from her bed.

Lee groaned.

"Happy Birthday" she smiled at him.

He groaned again.

"Oh don't be like that!" she teased, moving off the bed towards him, "I got you a present!"

Lee looked up surprised. "You didn't have to."

She smiled, and Lee realized that it made him feel just a little better.

Just a little bit.

She opened the desk drawer and pulled out his gift, and Lee couldn't believe his eyes. Wrapped in a big red bow was a history book. Immediately his demeanor changed. "Yes!" he exclaimed, unwrapping the book. It was on the American Revolution, not his specialty, but he wasn't complaining.

"Thanks Carley!"

She smiled and nodded, watching him flip through the pages with childlike wonder.

"Where's Clem?" he asked, looking at the empty bed closest to him.

"Playing with Duck. That reminds me, Kennedy asked for your help on the RV. He says it's almost done." she smiled. Lee nodded.

"Clem told me about Larry" Carley said, moving to take a seat on the bed next to him.

"Yeah" Lee said, remembering the elder man and his anger, "He and I have never really seen eye to eye."

"Are you worried? He could very easily call the police."

"I'm not sure. He hasn't yet, but Larry has always been unpredictable."

"I'll keep my eye out then. Maybe we could group up with Kenny and his family. The more of us there are, the easier it will be to move around in Savannah."

Lee nodded. "Well then…I guess I'll get going."

She smiled, "Good luck."

* * *

Lee was exhausted. As he leaned against the RV, the sun continued to beat down on him, making his metaphorical hell into a literal one. They had been working on the thing all day, but he was starting to believe that the machine just wanted to die. He was happy to let it, but Kenny just won't budge.

"One more try" he had said.

That was an hour ago. When Larry wasn't watching his every move.

Now, as the mechanical sounds of turning screws filled his head, Lee could feel the elder man's eyes on the back of his head.

Sometime in the past couple of hours, Larry had come out to watch the men work. While the scowl had never left the older man's face, he had kept quiet, opting to sit on a chair against the wall.

At least he wasn't yelling.

"Ok baby" Kennedy spoke aloud, "come on….come on!"

"Come on Kenny!" Lee laughed, tapping the RV, "let it die!"

Kenny grinned, "no chance!"

A few more moments of engine clicking was proceeded by a string of curses, but just when Lee was convinced that the old girl was gone for good, it sparked to life with the roar of the engine.

"HELL YES!" Kenny shouted above the roar. Lee laughed.

"You fixed it!" Clem and Duck exclaimed, running over to the now functioning RV.

Lee smiled and tipped the brim of Clem's hat, "was there any doubt?!"

"Yeah" Duck said. Clem smiled.

"Get out of here you!" Lee swatted playfully.

Both children laughed and Duck tugged at Clementine's arm, "come on Clementine! Let's check out the inside!"

While the children ran into the RV, Lee looked over at Larry. He wasn't surprised to see that the man was still sitting in his chair, staring at him.

Sighing, Lee decided to try and end the hostilities between them. Now that the RV was fixed, Lee planned on asking Kenney and his family to help them get to Savannah, and they would be out of here by tomorrow.

If Larry saw Lee coming, he didn't say anything. In a way, Larry's lack of response created animosity inside the younger man.

"Larry" Lee said, moving to stand in front of the older man.

Nothing. Not even a nod.

"Larry, listen" he said, straining to be reasonable with the man, "I didn't mean to put Lilly at risk, but I didn't know where else to go."

"…."

"I didn't kill my wife, Larry. I loved Rachel."

"….."

Sighing, Lee threw his hands up in the air and slowly made his way back to his room. There seemed to be no reasoning with the man. He only made it a few steps before Larry's voice caught up to him. Lee stopped mid-step.

"fucking murderer." The voice was a whisper.

As much as Lee wanted to turn around and engage with the man, he knew that any sort of reaction from him would only enrage Larry further. So slowly, painfully, he started to walk away again.

This seemed to only infuriate Larry more, and he was up like a bullet before Lee could take another step.

"F-U-C-K-I-N-G M-U-R-D-E-R-E-R" Larry shouted, emphasizing each letter.

Immediately, the parking lot quieted.

Slowly, Lee turned around and locked eyes with the man. A rush of emotions passed through him as he attempted to search the older man's eyes for any sort of understanding. Surely there had to be a part of the man that understood all the pain and suffering that haunted Lee every time he closed his eyes.

All he saw staring back at him was anger. Anger and rage.

"Larry-"

"SHUT UP!" Larry yelled, closing the distance between the two men in a matter of seconds. "I always knew there was something wrong with you."

"I-didn't-kill-my-wife." Lee stressed, attempting to control his rising temper.

"You fucking killed her." Larry insisted, jutting his finger in her chest. "And pretending to be that little girl's father won't change that."

Lee's eyes widened like saucers. "Shut up Larry."

"Did you kill that cop too? The one driving you to prison. They found his body in the woods."

"Larry, Shut the fu-"

"YOU'RE A KILLER LEE!"

"Larry!" Lee warned, his anger rising.

"AND IF YOU AREN'T STOPPED, THAT LITTLE GIRL IS GOING TO END UP **DEAD**!"

The sound of skin hitting skin filled the air.

It took Lee a second to fully realize exactly what he had done.

In a fit of rage, he had punched Larry in the face, and the man was now on the ground.

Immediately, Lee felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. Larry wasn't a bad guy, he was just a pain in the ass.

"Larry…"

"GET OUT!" Larry yelled, clutching his nose. "GET THE FUCK OUT!"

Sighing, Lee took one last look at everyone in the parking lot and slowly made his way out of the inn and into the forest.

* * *

When the shouting began, Carley quickly made her way to the balcony in time to hear Larry's allegations. What the man said shocked her deeply and when Lee punched the older man, she had a hard time seeing it as the wrong thing to do. There was no doubt about it: Larry was out of line.

When Lee disappeared into the forest, Carley slowly made her way down the stairs. When she hit the bottom step, Clem came flying past her and up the stairs towards their room. When Carley tried to call out to the girl, she got no answer.

Sighing, she headed towards the RV and decided to try and talk to Kenny and his family. It wasn't necessarily the best time to request their help, but their chances of staying much longer suddenly wasn't looking so good.

* * *

They would think about it.

That was the answer Carley got. At least it wasn't a no.

Sighing, Carley opened the door to her room and flopped down on her bed. There was no doubt about it; it had been a pretty bad day.

Looking around the room, Carley suddenly noticed how quiet it was.

"Clem?" she called.

No response.

"Clementine?" she tried again, moving from her bed to the bathroom. Perhaps the girl didn't hear her.

Nothing, and the bathroom was empty.

Panic slowly engulfed the woman. She had seen Clementine come up the stairs, and talking to Kenny and his family had only taken about ten minutes.

She had to be here!

"Clementine!" she said more urgently, checking every inch of the apartment, then moved the search outside.

"Have you seen Clem?" Carley asked Katjaa

The older woman shook her head.

"She's not with Duck?"

"No."

Full panic engulfed the woman.

Clem was missing!

* * *

Lee didn't think it was possible to be both angry and sad at the same time. On one end, he was enraged by Larry's accusations, but at the same time, the older man had managed to hit upon his worst fear. As much as Lee wanted to just ignore what Larry had said, all the accusations just kept replaying in his head.

To make matters worse, he was lost.

In the woods.

At night.

"Crap" he said out loud.

All the trees looked exactly the same, and after an hour of aimless wandering there was no way he was going to find his way back soon.

Suddenly, a rustling in the bushes made him jump. Lee froze, trying to make out the source. Despite the light of the full moon, there was no telling what the noise was. After a few more seconds, Lee decided to continue walking, although he didn't see much point.

A minute later, there was rustling again.

Lee tried his hardest not to flip out.

"Hello?" he called out, trying not to remember all the horror movies that predicted the next sequence of events.

Nothing.

"Hello?" he tried again, moving towards a bush.

Right when he put his hand on the top, another pair grabbed his back.

"Boo!"

Lee screamed.

Turning around, the man locked eyes with a smiling Clementine.

"I got you!" she said excitedly, flashing him a full smile.

Lee crouched down on the ground and placed a hand over his rapidly beating heart.

She had gotten him pretty badly.

"I knew it was you!" he said to her, when he could breathe again.

She laughed, "sure you did."

Lee flashed Clem an annoyed look, but his expression changed when he realized what Clem had with her.

It was her backpack.

She seemed all packed and ready to go. Her hat was on backwards and she seemed determined for something.

"What's up Clem?" he asked, gesturing to the backpack.

"I…I thought you were leaving." She was suddenly sullen.

There it was again, that uncertainty. God how he wished he could do something to erase what happened to her. He didn't blame her for feeling this way: he blamed Sandra.

"I wouldn't leave without you sweet pea!" he told her seriously, placing a hand on each shoulder.

She looked down for a second, thinking. Then, looking back up, she seemed to search his eyes for something. Maybe, Lee thought, for any sign that he didn't mean what he had said. Lee remained resolute. A minute later, she breathed what he believed to be a sigh of relief, and moved to hug him.

"Thanks Lee" she said softly.

"No problem..." he said, eager to change the subject in order to cheer the girl up again, "I guess it's been a pretty interesting birthday huh?"

Clem's face suddenly seemed to light up. "You're present!" she exclaimed, pulling back from the hug to open her backpack and search through it. Lee looked on inquisitively.

"Close your eyes!" Clem insisted, looking back at him and narrowing her eyes playfully.

Lee sighed and stuck his tongue at the girl. She giggled.

"Hold out your hands!"

He did as she commanded.

Slowly, he felt the weight of something move past his hand and focus on his wrist.

He knew that weight.

"Ok….open your eyes!" she said excitedly.

Opening his eyes, he was confronted with a sight that he never thought he would see again.

A friendship bracelet.

He was stunned. This bracelet was entirely different from the one Rachel gave him. This one had a white base, with a red and blue crisscrossing pattern. The colors seemed vibrant and Lee couldn't help but admire how nice it looked. It was hand-made, a project that no doubt required large amounts of the little girl's time. More than he realized.

Looking over, he saw an identical band wrapped on Clem's wrist.

As much as he wanted to, he couldn't think of anything to say.

Clem, however, did.

"You don't like it…" she said, dropping her head dejectedly.

This seemed to bring him out of his thoughts. Immediately, perhaps a bit too forcefully, Lee wrapped his arms around the eight year old and pulled her close. A single tear fell from his eye and ran down his cheek, coming to a stop only on her jacket.

"I love it." He whispered, letting her go.

"Really?!" she asked, balling her fists in excitement, "It's not too girly?"

"Not at all sweet pea." He insisted, smiling. "It's the best present I've ever gotten!"

It really was.

Clem beamed. Lee had never seen the girl so happy.

"Come on" she said, grabbing his hand, "Let's go back."

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Lee asked. They seemed to have been walking for hours

"Uh-huh" Clem said, looking around, before ultimately deciding to continue walking on the path they were already on.

Lee saw little point in attempting to change their course. He had absolutely no idea where they were. Clem, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what she was doing. So he let the girl lead.

That was, until they were close enough to see the lights.

At first, Lee wasn't quite sure what it was that flashed against the trees. The closer he got, however, the more certain he became.

Police lights.

"Stay here" he instructed Clem, who nodded solemnly behind him.

Slowly, he crept his way past the trees and came to rest the closest he could dare to across the street from the inn.

The entire place was surrounded with police officers.

And there was no sign of Carley or Kenney.

"Shit"

**Author's Note**: Hey everybody! Sorry for the long wait. This chapter seemed to take forever in writing and I'm really glad that it ended up the way it did. I would like- as always- to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. There seemed to be less than Chapter 4 though, and I'm not sure if it is because this story type isn't as popular because the game has been out for a while, or if it's just because of other factors. Regardless, I'm extremely proud of this fanfiction and of the writers/readers who leave their comments for me! Please continue to let me know how you feel, and let's try to hit 52-55 reviews before the next chapter! Also, if you haven't had the opportunity to read other walking dead game stories on this site, I highly suggest that you do so. Finally, I'm going to try and update the status of chapters on my homepage, so check that out if you want to know how writing is going and when I will probably have the next chapter out.

As always guys, thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

The blue and red of the police lights were blinding compared to the monotonous black of the night. Lee hid in the trees, watching as the police combed through what used to be his room. Within minutes, if not already, the police would have direct evidence linking him not only to the motel, but also possibly to Carley and Clementine. If that link became established, it would be near impossible to move inside Savannah. Their pictures would be plastered on every news station, every street corner, and in the minds of every person they came across.

He looked again for any sign of Carley or Kenny, but as far as he could tell there was nothing. Even their cars seemed to be gone, which gave him enough to hope that they had gotten away before the police showed up.

A rustle in the bushes snapped him back to attention.

"Lee?" Clem called, moving through the bushes slowly.

"Over here" he whispered, just loud enough to get her attention. Slowly, she made her way over to him.

"I'm sorry," she said, referring to the fact that Lee had told her to stay back. "I got worried."

"It's ok" he smiled at her. She crouched down next to him and was about to say something when shouting broke out.

"HEY!" a voice shouted from the parking lot. Apparently, Clem's movements drew attention.

Lee didn't wait to see if they had been detected.

"come on!"

* * *

It had taken Clem a few moments to register exactly what was happening, but when Lee started to run she wasn't too far behind.

"What's wrong?" She didn't understand why Lee had run from the police. Her mom had always said that police were the good guys.

Lee didn't respond. Instead he was focused on trying to move deeper into the forest. The trees would hide their figures until they could figure out what to do.

"Lee?" she asked again, "why are we running?"

"I'll explain it to you later. I promise."

She nodded and tried her best to keep up with his pace. He was running really fast and she had to exert herself just to keep up. This took a toll on her. Her fast pace and self-reflection made paying attention to surroundings near impossible. When Lee jumped over a particularly large root that was jutting up from the ground, Clem failed to take note and tripped over the massive bulge.

She hit the ground.

Hard.

"Clem!" Lee said, panic lacing his voice as he stopped and ran back to where Clem had fallen.

"Ow" she groaned, rolling to her side automatically and shifting her gaze to Lee.

She wanted to cry. The pain was that bad. But, looking at the man who had managed to remain calm despite everything that had happened, she used every ounce of control she had in order to fight back tears.

She didn't want Lee to think she was weak.

"Are you ok? He asked concerned.

"Yeah" she said through clenched teeth. Her ankle hurt a lot, but she did what she could to keep him from seeing it.

Gently, Lee helped her up. She was scraped all over, and when she attempted to stand on both feet, she hissed a gasp of pain. Try as she might, she couldn't stand on her right leg.

"Clem…" he said, moving his hand to gently touch her right ankle.

"I'm…ok."

Concern flooded his eyes, but panic and fear over the situation made him push it aside. Gently, he moved in order to present his back to the girl. "Come on. I'll carry you."

She looked down, "I can walk."

Lee shook his head, "It's ok. We're a team, remember?"

Slowly, Clem nodded her head in understanding and moved to climb on his back.

"Am I heavy?" she asked, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck.

"Not at all." He said, touching her head lightly with his. "You're the perfect size."

She smiled slightly.

It took him a few seconds to get used to the new weight, but once he did he took off. They had lost a little time because of the fall but if they moved quickly they could easily make it up.

At this point, that seemed like the easy variable.

Carley and Kenny were still missing, and there was no indication of where they were. Walking along the road would probably be the best option, but there were bound to be a few traveling police cars.

A slight wince near his ear drew his attention.

"Are you ok Clem?" he asked as he ran.

No response.

"Clem?!" he said a little more concerned.

"I…..I'm fine." She said through pained breath.

He turned his head so she couldn't see him frown. Clem needed to rest. He didn't know much about injuries, but walking around with an ankle like hers probably wasn't a good thing.

Sighing internally, Lee moved towards the road, but close enough to the tree line to hide majority of his body.

"hang in there sweet pea." He told her soothingly, "not much longer."

* * *

It had been thirty minutes since he had told her that. And they were still running through the forest on the side of the road.

"Do you think they left?" she whispered worriedly.

Lee said nothing, but rubbed her uninjured leg with his hand in support.

As much as he wanted to believe that Carley and Kenney were out there looking for them, a small part of him refused to believe that. That small voice, seeming to speak to him from the back of his mind, reminded him that there was no hope. Despite all the friends he made, all the connections that formed, he was alone.

Truly and utterly alone.

Clem sneezed prettily, and Lee could literally feel his heart melt.

She smiled weakly over his shoulder, "sorry".

Well….maybe he wasn't completely alone.

"Look!" Clem said suddenly, dragging him out of his thoughts with the pointing of her finger.

A car was approaching…and it seemed to be a big one.

"Hey!" Lee shouted. It wasn't the best strategy, granted, when avoiding the police. But Lee wasn't sure how much longer the two of them could go on in the woods by themselves.

"Holy shit!" he heard a voice yell and within seconds the car had come to a complete stop. Even from the darkness that surrounded them, Lee could easily recognize the figure that stepped out from the vehicle.

Kenny.

"What happened?!" he asked frantically, seeing a scratched up Clem on his back.

"I'll explain it later!" Lee said, quickly moving inside the RV. Once inside, he moved to the couch opposite the door and gently placed the girl there.

"Does your ankle still hurt?" he asked, "be honest."

She looked down. "A little."

Lee nodded. "We need to go to the hospital."

Clem's eyes seemed to widen. "The hospital?!"

"What happened?" This time, the question came from Katjaa, who had been in the passenger seat.

"She tripped on a root in the woods, and now she can't stand on her right leg."

The woman moved urgently towards the girl and examined the wound with expert care.

"Does it hurt here?" the woman asked, moving to touch a spot on Clem's leg.

Clem shook her head.

"How about here?"

Another shake.

"Here?"

Clem didn't say anything, but her wince was enough.

"Nothing's broken, but she's sprained her ankle."

"You're a doctor?" Lee asked, surprised at the sudden diagnosis.

Katjaa shook her head. "I'm a vet. But I knew enough about medicine to recognize what happened." She moved towards the cupboard and then the fridge and came back with a pill, a glass of water, and an ice pack.

"take this sweet heart." She said, handing Clem the pill and water. "It'll help reduce the swelling.

Clem seemed unsure, and looked to Lee for confirmation. Lee nodded.

"ok" she said weakly, before reaching out for the offered items. Within minutes she had taken the pill, and Katjaa had placed the ice pack on Clem's ankle.

"Best you try and get some rest." Lee told her. Clem looked about ready to pass out.

"She can sleep in the bed with Duck and I." Katjaa said. "It's big enough for the three of us, and I'll be able to check on her."

"Ok then" he said, moving to pick up the girl. He made sure to place an arm under her legs in order to support them as best he could. "Lead the way."

* * *

After making sure that Clem was comfortable, Lee walked out of the bedroom at the back of the RV and moved to the front in order to sit in the passenger's seat next to Kenny. The man acknowledged him with a nod.

"What happened Kenney?" Lee asked, exhausted.

Kenney sighed, "I'm not sure man. After you disappeared, Larry walked off and I didn't see him again until the sirens went off. At that time, Carley was going crazy with worry because she couldn't find Clem. We told her we would wait at the inn in case she turned up. Carley took her car and planned on looking along the highway and into the forest as much as she could. We told her that Clementine probably went to go find you, but she didn't really seem to listen."

"She's stubborn" Lee added.

Kenney nodded. "Lilly knew the police were coming before any of us. I guess she was with her dad when it happened. She came out pretty upset. She told us to get out of here, and that she would do what she could to make sure that Carley and Clem stayed off the police's radar."

Lee nodded, relieved. That was the one thing that had been haunting him as he ran through the forest. It was ok if the police knew that he was there, Larry would make sure that Lilly was alright after everything, but if they knew about Calrey and Clem, then everything would be ruined. Carley's career would be over, they would assume Clem was a hostage, and Savannah would be suicidal.

Suddenly, Lee yawned. He didn't realize just how worried he had been, and just how tired he was. All the adrenaline that had gotten him through the woods suddenly flowed out of his body and left him completely drained. It seemed that even holding a conversation took a lot more energy than it used to.

Kenney seemed to notice immediately.

"Listen man….if you want to go crash on the sofa, I won't be offended or anything."

Lee nodded, lacking the energy to argue. "We're meeting up with Carley?"

"At a gas station about five hours up the road. We want to put some distance between the police and us."

Lee nodded. "Thanks for all the help man. I really appreciate it."

"Not doing it for you" he said, trying to sound as friendly as possible. "I'm doing it for her."

* * *

When Lee awoke, it was to the light of the sun and the continuous vibration of motion.

They were still driving.

"What's going on?" he asked, sitting up and directing his attention to the driver's seat.

"Carley wants to put a little more distance. We're moving to a different gas station" came Kenney's reply. It seemed more like a grunt than an answer, and it worried him.

"Have you been driving all night?"

"Yeah." Kenny's reply was short and the tone made Lee get up from the couch and move towards the man.

"Kenney…man….go get some sleep. I'll take over."

This time the man literally grumbled. It was incoherent, and didn't help Lee's worries.

"Kenney…" This time Lee placed a hand on the man's shoulder. This seemed to do the trick.

"Fine" Kenney grumbled, pulling over the vehicle. "Keep driving straight for another 9 miles then turn left at the fork. Keep going for another 20 and stop at the first gas station you see." His voice got quieter as it moved towards the back of the RV, and Lee struggled to make it out.

Sighing, Lee moved into the driver's seat and slowly pulled the car back onto the road.

It was going to be a long drive.

* * *

It was about three hours into the drive when a movement in the passenger's seat distracted him from the road.

"You look bored."

Lee smiled and gestured for the girl to sit down.

Slowly, quite awkwardly, Clementine hobbled into the passenger seat, and placed her left leg against the dashboard for elevation.

"Are you feeling better?" Lee asked, moving his attention back to the road.

"Uh-huh….the swelling went down, and it doesn't hurt that much."

"Good. You had me worried back there."

She didn't say anything, but he caught the quick downward cast of her eyes and the way she bit her lower lip.

It was quiet for a few moments, and Lee couldn't tell if it was an awkward quiet, or just the quiet borne from a general lack of things to talk about. It wasn't a bad quiet that was for sure. Lee still felt extremely comfortable around the girl. She practically projected a calmness that invaded his senses. She relaxed him, and it was one of the things he loved about her.

"I really was bored." He said to her, diverting his attention to shoot her a half smile.

She smiled back, and her eyes suddenly widened with an idea. "I spy with my little eye….something…..grey!"

"What?"

"Grey!" she said again, a little more playfully. She looked over at him expectantly.

"Um….the road?"

"nope"

"that sign?"

"Uh-Uh"

"the road?"

"you said that already!"

"I don't think I like this game very much."

"Grey!" she said again, completely ignoring his protests.

Lee sighed comically and went about looking for anything that could fit her description. Then it hit him; the fence!

"The fence?"

She nodded, and Lee smiled in victory.

"You're turn!"

"Hmm" Lee said, tapping his chin with his finger. "I spy something white."

Clem leaned forward in her chair, casting her gaze out the window.

"the clouds?"

"No"

"the strip on the road?"

"nope".

She was getting slightly frustrated now, and her eyes squinted in concentration.

"the RV?"

He chuckled slightly, "no".

She was running out of options. Breathing a sigh of frustration, Clem moved back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Do you want a hint?"

She looked over at him and narrowed her eyes slightly. Lee chuckled.

Slowly, he extended his finger and used it to tap the brim of her hat twice. Recognition dawned on her face.

"My hat?!"

Lee smiled, "yep!".

"That's cheating!" Clem declared, "I couldn't see it!"

"I still won!" he stated in pride.

She stuck his tongue out at him.

Lee's victory, however, was short lived.

"We're you supposed to turn somewhere?" she asked, searching for any sort of marker to give away their current location.

Lee paled.

"Crap"

* * *

"How did you get lost?!" Carley said as she entered the RV for the first time. Lee and Clem said nothing, instead choosing to focus on the carpet.

"He missed his turn." Clem said, still refusing to make eye contact with the woman.

"How could he have possibly missed his turn?"

"He was looking for something grey."

"What?"

"We were playing I spy and he was looking for something grey."

"I WAS WAITING AT THAT GAS STATION FOR FOUR HOURS BECAUSE YOU MISSED YOUR TURN WHILE PLAYING A GAME?" Carley asked, looking over to Lee.

"…..I won" Lee said quietly.

"you cheated…" Clem whispered next to him, and he nudged her with her elbow.

Both stifled a laugh.

Carley threw up her hands with a sigh and marched off towards the back of the RV in search of Kenny. Lee and Clementine continued to stare at the floor.

"you got me in trouble…" Lee said to Clem, risking a glance upward.

Clem simply stuck her tongue at him again.

* * *

"I'm still mad at you…" Carley said, shooting a glance over to the man in the passenger seat. From the second the words left her lips she knew they were false. She HAD been mad at him, but that had lasted all of three minutes before worry began to set in. This worry, however, was different than the other times. Whenever she had been worried before, it had been about herself. If Lee was arrested, it was only a matter of time before she would find herself in the same predicament. This though had stayed with her through the nights on the road and the first couple of days at the inn. But, when she had learned that the police had surrounded the inn and that Lee could walk into a trap without even knowing it, she had come to the realization that something had changed.

She was worried **for** him.

Somehow, someway, he had gotten under her skin. Made her care for him.

She could see it now, all those times that she had followed him subconsciously with her eyes as he walked across the parking lot. All those times when he had smiled at her, that little, sad smile of his that made her heart beat a little bit faster. All those times he worried over Clementine, fretted over the littlest thing, it warmed her heart.

Without realizing it, she had managed to develop feelings for him.

And that's what made her mad. It wasn't the four-hour wait, or the fact that he and Clem were playing games, but because she realized that she cared.

And it scared her.

But then she heard him snicker, and when she turned her head, she saw him try to hide a smile at her comment. And somehow, someway, some of her troubles vanished.

And that made her mad all over again.

He shouldn't have this effect on her. Not so quickly. Not him.

"Carley…" a voice called. She blocked it out.

"Carley!" the voice again, Lee's voice. But she was mad at him, so she pushed his voice out of her mind and continued to focus on her thoughts.

"CARLEY!" The urgency of his voice managed to drag her attention away from her thoughts. What she saw made her heart beat faster and fear pierce her senses.

She had veered into the other lane.

She could see the other car; a minivan. She could see the face of the driver, and the panic that shown on his face.

Time seemed to slow down as Lee grabbed the wheel and jerked it rightward. The car responded immediately, turning at a dangerous angle which almost send the car on its side.

They just barely missed the car.

Lee re-adjusted the wheel, and Carley kept driving, but she found that it was more out of continuing the motion than about a conscious thought. Her bones and muscles seemed to be frozen stiff and her grip on the wheel was a loose one.

"You ok?" he asked weakly.

She couldn't bring herself to say anything.

He waited a few more minutes for an answer before he said anything." Pull over", he commanded gently once it became clear that Carley wasn't able to answer.

Slowly, Carley brought the car to a stop, and watched as Lee exited the car, only to reappear outside her door.

"Are you ok? He asked again, once the door was open.

"yeah" she said weakly. She realized that her voice sounded shaky.

"Come on" he said, offering her his hand, "I'll drive."

Carley took his hand shakily and allowed herself to be led to the passenger's seat. She watched as Lee moved the car into drive and back onto the street. She stayed silent as the car moved down the road and tried not to think about what had almost happened. It was a whole five minutes before Lee spoke, and it managed to bring her out of her thoughts.

"I spy with my little eye something white."

"What?" she asked, looking over to him. Lee's eyes were fixed firmly on the road, but a slight smile told her that he was trying to pull her out of her mood.

"Something white!" Lee insisted.

"Um…"

* * *

When Carley and Lee finally made it to their meeting spot, both were in better moods. Carley excited the passenger seat with a smile on her face while Lee was laughing at a previously made joke. The drive had been a long one, and it was already dark.

Lee looked around the designated meeting spot and felt panic suddenly seize him.

Kenny and his family weren't here.

Clem wasn't here.

When Lee had volunteered to ride with Carley for the next leg of the journey, Clementine had insisted that she go with them, but Katjaa said that the girl should stay on the RV so that the woman could work on Clem's ankle. Lee had been worried that Kenny would just take Clementine to the police, but Carley had insisted that he trust them. Kenny had been a good friend so far, she argued, there was no reason to not trust him now. So, despite his wishes and Clem's protest, Lee decided to have her stay back with Katjaa on the RV. It didn't mean he had to be happy about it though.

Carley must have seen his worry, because she walked over to him and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be here soon."

Lee didn't say anything, but instead chose to pace around the dirt road.

Five minutes later, he was still pacing.

"Will you calm down!" Carley said, moving to stop his constant pacing.

"They're not coming!" Lee exclaimed worriedly, practically hyperventilating.

"Calm Do-"

The sound of tires of gravel stopped her midsentence. Quickly, she gestured for Lee to move behind the car, just in case. The precaution proved to be unnecessary, however, as the RV moved clear into a view a few seconds later.

"You're late!" Lee said once the RV parked and the doors opened.

"What?" Kenney asked from the driver's seat, Carley just shook her head and motioned for the man to go along with it.

"Where's Clem?"

"Sleeping."

Lee sighed and moved onto the couch. The adrenaline kick from the averted car accident had left him body, leaving him exhausted. He lay across the couch and was about to close his eyes and attempt sleep when he realized that Carley and Kenny were still watching him.

"Oh…sorry." Lee said, moving to sit up. Carley stopped him.

"Go ahead. Kenny and I will take the chairs."

"Are you sure?" Lee asked, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"Yeah. You should get some sleep. We'll reach Savannah by tomorrow."

Lee nodded and tried his hardest not to let the reality of the situation set in. By tomorrow, they would reach Savannah and start the final leg of their journey. By the end of it, he would be all alone again. The thought depressed him, and despite his tiredness, he knew that it would be extremely hard for him to fall asleep now.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

He had managed to be asleep for all of five minutes before a rustling woke him back up.

"lee?" a familiar voice asked, "are you asleep?"

"No sweet pea. What's up?"

"I can't sleep. Can I sleep with you?"

"What's wrong with the bed?" he asked concerned.

She looked around shyly, forcing Lee to lean in to hear her.

"they snore."

Lee stifled a chuckle and nodded towards the girl. Slowly, Lee sat up. Clem tossed her pillow on his lap and moved onto the couch as fast as her injury would allow. She was healing fast.

Gently, she lowered her head onto the pillow and stretched out her legs.

"Better?" he asked, placing a hand on the top of her head.

"Uh-huh" she answered.

Lee leaned back against the couch and was about to attempt sleep again when Clem spoke again.

"Lee?"

"Yeah?"

She paused for a second, as if unsure of what she wanted to say.

"when we get to Savannah, and find my parents…can I tell them-?"

She didn't say anymore, but Lee understood what she meant; his murder charge.

"yeah" he told her. She had left her hat back in the bedroom, and so Lee began running his fingers through her hair thoughtlessly. It was something his mother had done.

She was falling asleep again, he could tell.

"will you miss me when we find my parents?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"Of course!"

"But I'll still be able to see you, right? We can still have fun? Play soccer?"

Lee wanted so badly to say yes to her. But how could he? Once she was back with her family, Lee would do what he could to find M and look for his wife's killer, but he was not sure how far he would get. Sometime, somewhere, he would get arrested and jailed, and he would be by himself again.

But, looking down at the little girl on his lap, he felt a surge of hope. Maybe, just maybe, his story would have a happy ending.

"yeah" he told her.

He really hoped so.

**Author's Note:**

IT'S FINALLY DONE! I'm sorry this chapter took me so long but I was having serious writer's block for a while. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I would like to thank all those who have reviewed this story so far and look forward to hearing your thoughts on this story. Let's try to hit 60-63 reviews this time, and I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible.


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